"Retro gamers" should be able to beat these games

[Dyne]

This guy wanted this video shared with "retro gamers, wherever they hang out" so here you go.

Honestly, just skip the first 1:15 of the video because its just a (admittedly entertaining) clip from an old movie that has little to do with anything else in the video.

I got a kick out of this video. I enjoyed the lack of any fucks given about how he says things.
But he also throws a lot of shade at the retro gaming community. A little of it might be warranted but I think he exaggerates it.
Side note: I grew up in California and the way this guy talks is exactly how I grew up talking lol.

While I agree with a lot of what he said, it's pretty elitist to say you have nothing useful to share about retro games if you haven't beat certain games. I don't think "you're not a real retro gamer if you haven't beat X game" but I do get what he's saying. There are a lot of people who do more collecting than playing. Hell, I've been guilty at times of spending more time curating my roms and configuring emulators than actually playing the games. It kind of made me want to go back and knock a few of the harder NES games off my backlog once and for all. For a lot of the games he mentions, "I got far in it but I never beat it" would have to be my answer. Feels bad man.

So what do you think?

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Hell, I've been guilty at times of spending more time curating my roms and configuring emulators than actually playing the games.

I'm finding myself in there as well.

On the other hand, in video games, movies, music and other media, the whole "you're not a real enthusiast if you haven't watched/listened/played [very old/very obscure thing from said medium]" is not the best mindset to have with anything related to fandoms. People won't say that somebody who hasn't touched an Odyssey nor a Pong machine cannot call themselves gamer because that's totally arbitrary.

 

[qw90700]

So while the dude speaks like Bill & Ted he "let go" of his pent-up emotions about what is wrong among "retro gamer world" (bigger than just a community dude) in the way he didn't like and he glorifies the group he belongs to while half of the video is an ad while assuming he is da commander demanding what people should do like who you are to even talk? Even if I had self-identified myself as "da retro gamer" I wouldn't think there is actually something offensive. His take is like what I disagree and it is his opinion. It was like listening to a person who doesn't like pasta so he glorified eating meat. So what? And like a kid he is he was like "if I offended you I will laugh at you reading your comments" come at me bro attitude. In America being a cringe is the new superior person lolol. This is how I literally imagine if we could understand how dogs talk it would be the translation of what we would hear ayy lmao. He is a child in an adult body but it make me wanna pat his head and give him a candy, the way he talks even kinda cute lolol.

I know when a person barks a like dog it can be attractive for some people, but all I heard is "woof woof dude" that was really funny actually without anything really annoying. He keeps going on and on saying pretty much same shits trying to stretch the video like Americano tv series about nothing but they were ordered to direct 12 episodes so they did anything to stretch that shit and that's all about the video. At least it showed some funny movie scenes and cool games and all so it wasn't entirely rubbish lol.

 

[NotReallyHere]

But he also throws a lot of shade at the retro gaming community. A little of it might be warranted but I think he exaggerates it... it's pretty elitist to say you have nothing useful to share about retro games if you haven't beat certain games.

Exactly this.

I had a NES as a kid. Never beat Ninja Gaiden, Batman, or any of the other games in that screenshot, for that matter. There's a simple reason why - I never owned them! I either rented them once or twice, or played them at a friend's house. And either way, that didn't give me a lot of time to "git gud."

On the flipside? I can beat Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! And I can also finish Metroid in one sitting, without looking at a map, and get the best ending. And I can also beat Mega Man 3 without getting a game over or having to look up the boss order. And why's that? Because I actually did own those games back in the day, and had plenty of time to practice

There's some retro games that I know I'll never finish, despite my best intentions. That doesn't mean I don't consider myself a retro gamer, though! And if that's not good enough for some rando YouTuber, well... that's a "them" problem

 

[qw90700]

Exactly this.

I had a NES as a kid. Never beat Ninja Gaiden, Batman, or any of the other games in that screenshot, for that matter. There's a simple reason why - I never owned them! I either rented them once or twice, or played them at a friend's house. And either way, that didn't give me a lot of time to "git gud."

On the flipside? I can beat Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! And I can also finish Metroid in one sitting, without looking at a map, and get the best ending. And I can also beat Mega Man 3 without getting a game over or having to look up the boss order. And why's that? Because I actually did own those games back in the day, and had plenty of time to practice

There's some retro games that I know I'll never finish, despite my best intentions. That doesn't mean I don't consider myself a retro gamer, though! And if that's not good enough for some rando YouTuber, well... that's a "them" problem

Don't worry you don't have to beat any game. If it is boring just fuck it lol. It's okay to play a game without caring to ever finish it and just playing it until you're done having fun with it.

 

[Not_Red]

I think the real problem here is that not everyone has the same interests when it comes to retro games. Like, I'm mainly an RPG guy so games like Ninja Gaiden, Mario or DK are never even on my radar when it comes to things I want to play. On the other hand I do try some older stuff like early SMT or FF games, even the old DQ games I've beaten because I just like the genre a lot.

 

[diet_orange]

View attachment 124990

So while the dude speaks like Bill & Ted he "let go" of his pent-up emotions about what is wrong among "retro gamer world" (bigger than just a community dude) in the way he didn't like and he glorifies the group he belongs to while half of the video is an ad while assuming he is da commander demanding what people should do like who you are to even talk? Even if I had self-identified myself as "da retro gamer" I wouldn't think there is actually something offensive. His take is like what I disagree and it is his opinion. It was like listening to a person who doesn't like pasta so he glorified eating meat. So what? And like a kid he is he was like "if I offended you I will laugh at you reading your comments" come at me bro attitude. In America being a cringe is the new superior person lolol. This is how I literally imagine if we could understand how dogs talk it would be the translation of what we would hear ayy lmao. He is a child in an adult body but it make me wanna pat his head and give him a candy, the way he talks even kinda cute lolol.

I get the sense that he's joking/making a shitpost. Listen to how he talks about "retrogamers spending hundreds to get their favorite games not to look like shit." and then starts talking about using Retrotink himself

 

[Clippy]

I know I'm an outlier but damn. My gaming life revolved around computers so I never even played, let alone beat these games. The only one I have any experience with is Castlevania but, uh, the less said about the Amiga port the better.

What a way to find out I have no street cred according to a source as reliable and authoritative as some random YouTuber. This does beg the question though - am I tax-exempt or anything like that now? I goddamn better be. All those years I thought I was a 'real gamer' (hard 'r' and (TM)) only to find out I was living a lie. How will I recover, pray tell?

Jokes aside, he raises some good points. Games are meant to be played and not just collect dust on your shelves. However, whether or not you can or even want to beat them isn't really relevant. Older games' difficulty tends to stem from crap design rather than a thought out challenge more often than not and there's nothing wrong with putting down a game that frustrates you. His entire Castlevania section is nothing but Stockholm Syndrome. 'Bad controls are actually good because you have to commit to the jump' is a really stupid argument. Bad controls are bad. Just because you can navigate around them and still beat the game doesn't magically make them good.

Another point of his that I liked was his allusions to the retro gamer industrial complex. I noticed it too. The last 20 years or so have cemented a sort of status quo when it comes to old games. There are games that have an opinion associated with them and if you go against the grain you're ostracized. He brought up some guy making a list of his favorite Jaleco games I think it was and included a game that he 'clearly barely played'. Now that's something I can get behind. It's your list. You don't have to have played every single game in existence to make one. I know there are people out there who will eat anyone who doesn't include their game in a list like that alive but what do you care? Just say you haven't played something or that you don't like a given game and move on instead of conforming to what at this point is becoming just as bad as mainstream. You don't have to be different for the sake of being different but if it happens that your taste in gaming diverges from the norm then more power to you. If it happens that your journey of discovery of a company's games is incomplete and you want to list what you've played so far that's cool too. Don't feel pressured to include a game just because there's a consensus that a game should be included in such a list.

Finally, I like his confrontational/shitposty style. This is something you won't get from any of the big fish on YT. Chasing that ad money and trying to be as non-offensive as possible to avoid stupid people and their drama makes for boring content. Tell it how you think it is. Some will agree, some won't and that will be that. It's more fun that way.

 

[qw90700]

I get the sense that he's joking/making a shitpost. Listen to how he talks about "retrogamers spending hundreds to get their favorite games not to look like shit." and then starts talking about using Retrotink himself

Yes it's mainly like 10 minutes ad he could barely "disguise" and then by using the words "retro gamers" in the title he was fishing for views and to fill the video he let his emotions run wild because he didn't have anything else to say so he was like a broken record and our dude Dyne here became a willing pawn in his game. FIN lol.

Why he called for drama to make retro gamers attack: If anyone had attack him it would be an excuse for him to make a video about how he was the victim and talking more bad about retro gamers to fish views and like.

Naturally it is his job, he try to make money from it. He do care to put on a show to express himself for ego masturbation too. In the end he seriously doesn't care to make videos about video games, he make videos about himself playing games and his sheep loves him barking like a dog. He is like a cult leader in his own context. He will lead to the salvation of true gaming. "Repent retro gamers!!!" lol.

So when I see a Youtuber like that I do question if they really believe in their own BS, and he really seem like he doesn't really believe in the way he barks. He try to say what is popular to say around to be likeable like a girl wanna be popular girl of the high school. After all a Youtuber who wanna make money is nothing without their audience so he become a bitch of the audience. When a person is like that I cannot take them seriously because their words are a big zero lol. Never trust a person who does anything because it is their job. So same as I don't believe medical doctors actually care about my health I don't believe a Professional Youtuber or any Youtuber who only care to get popular by seeking acceptance, support and followers really mean what they say. Like a popular girl of the school while they wish for everyone to die they will fake wishing world peace!!! lolol

 

[Dyne]

I know I'm an outlier but damn. My gaming life revolved around computers so I never even played, let alone beat these games. The only one I have any experience with is Castlevania but, uh, the less said about the Amiga port the better.

What a way to find out I have no street cred according to a source as reliable and authoritative as some random YouTuber. This does beg the question though - am I tax-exempt or anything like that now? I goddamn better be. All those years I thought I was a 'real gamer' (hard 'r' and (TM)) only to find out I was living a lie. How will I recover, pray tell?

Jokes aside, he raises some good points. Games are meant to be played and not just collect dust on your shelves. However, whether or not you can or even want to beat them isn't really relevant. Older games' difficulty tends to stem from crap design rather than a thought out challenge more often than not and there's nothing wrong with putting down a game that frustrates you. His entire Castlevania section is nothing but Stockholm Syndrome. 'Bad controls are actually good because you have to commit to the jump' is a really stupid argument. Bad controls are bad. Just because you can navigate around them and still beat the game doesn't magically make them good.

Another point of his that I liked was his allusions to the retro gamer industrial complex. I noticed it too. The last 20 years or so have cemented a sort of status quo when it comes to old games. There are games that have an opinion associated with them and if you go against the grain you're ostracized. He brought up some guy making a list of his favorite Jaleco games I think it was and included a game that he 'clearly barely played'. Now that's something I can get behind. It's your list. You don't have to have played every single game in existence to make one. I know there are people out there who will eat anyone who doesn't include their game in a list like that alive but what do you care? Just say you haven't played something or that you don't like a given game and move on instead of conforming to what at this point is becoming just as bad as mainstream. You don't have to be different for the sake of being different but if it happens that your taste in gaming diverges from the norm then more power to you. If it happens that your journey of discovery of a company's games is incomplete and you want to list what you've played so far that's cool too. Don't feel pressured to include a game just because there's a consensus that a game should be included in such a list.

Finally, I like his confrontational/shitposty style. This is something you won't get from any of the big fish on YT. Chasing that ad money and trying to be as non-offensive as possible to avoid stupid people and their drama makes for boring content. Tell it how you think it is. Some will agree, some won't and that will be that. It's more fun that way.

I think this is a really solid take.
Sorry about your street cred.

 

[DanCalibur]

Fun is the key word, I'm not a good player and I managed to beat Castlevania and Batman recently. It takes more perseverance than skill and once I'm having fun it's ok to try again and again. That's also the reason I stopped playing modern games, I wasn't having fun, simple as that.

 

[ThatOneLum ThatOneLum]

"you guys remember when gaming was fresh AF and they had no idea how games were suppoesd to work so they made them unecessarily hard as a throw over from the days of the arcades and also because if they didn't everyone would realize there was only about 30 minutes of game without the constant repeated attempts? I think that you should be able to beat those if you want to call yourself a gamer."

Nah, I'm good. If I have to give up my gamer card because I don't give a shit about Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, or whatever the fuck else bullshit NES games this guy thinks is the gold standard you need to have reached then so be it.

Fuck it. We're out here making declairations, then you're retro gaming opinions don't matter unless you've beaten Gaelco's Thunder Hooper in it's original Spain. No imports bitches. Why the fuck not.

 

[qw90700]

"you guys remember when gaming was fresh AF and they had no idea how games were suppoesd to work so they made them unecessarily hard as a throw over from the days of the arcades and also because if they didn't everyone would realize there was only about 30 minutes of game without the constant repeated attempts? I think that you should be able to beat those if you want to call yourself a gamer."

Nah, I'm good. If I have to give up my gamer card because I don't give a shit about Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, or whatever the fuck else bullshit NES games this guy thinks is the gold standard you need to have reached then so be it.

Fuck it. We're out here making declairations, then you're retro gaming opinions don't matter unless you've beaten Gaelco's Thunder Hooper in it's original Spain. No imports bitches. Why the fuck not.

My poor guy blamed himself when a game was hard just because the gameplay design was stupid and based on wasting your time and it wasn't actually fun. He felt weak so it made him go crazy believing you can and should beat any game you play like a sucker as long as it triggers his masochistic ass. This is the stupid target gamer profile made arcade places profit a lot lolol. And he seriously asks new games to be that stupid for a stupid sense of "hard". New games are already stupid for many other reasons, let's not drop the IQ of the video game industry further!!! lolol

 

[PhaseJump]

I beat a ton of NES games back in the day, and as a college aged dumbass smashed on beers I could run NES Contra without using the Konami code, and make it to at least the end of the snow stage without dying.

Now I have no patience for old shitty balls to the wall, hard NES games these days. Fucking nonsense. Youtubers were and clearly still are a mistake for humanity.