For whatever reason a little while ago, I became interested in classic gaming. Games such as Pong, Duck Hunt, and Super Mario Bros. were all games that I wanted to play again. But why? What’s so good about these games that makes people want to give up things such as good graphics, and sound?
The problem is modern video games are complete BULLSHIT. Well, there’s probably some good ones out there, but for the most part, there is no more originality in the video game industry anymore. It’s all built around having the best graphics, the most weapons, and stupid stuff like that.
The thing I like the most about classic gaming was the absolutely abundant creativity that was pouring from each and every game. A project to start producing a video game would start from an idea spawned from an everyday object, such as a pizza, or a bridge. Other people simply drew on napkins, and in a matter of ten minutes, there was an idea for a video game.
Programmers had to make something good from the little technology that they were given. A joystick, one button, and 128 colors. It meant that the focus of the gaming experience was on the actual game itself, not stupid things like graphics or sound.
I personally think that the modern gaming scene can be summed up by shoot-’em-ups. That’s pretty much the only thing people play, shoot-’em-ups and Guitar Hero. I suck at and dislike both equally.
I decided to buy an Atari Flashback 2 on eBay for about $75 total two weeks ago. That was how long ago I bought it. I’m STILL waiting for it to come in the mail, which really ticks me off. I HATE waiting for packages to arrive!
It’s a pretty sweet console. It looks like the actual Atari 2600 from 1977, except it’s 1/3 smaller, and it has big, childish orange buttons on the front. It comes with two REPRODUCTION original Atari controllers, that are almost EXACTLY like the originals, except the inner circuitry has been improved, and the joystick handle is made of solid plastic, rather than a tube of PVC in a rubber sock.
You simply hook this system up to your TV, and you’re ready to rock, old school. It comes with 40 games built in to the hardware, there is no cartridge slot. Interestingly enough, though, the developers of this console have included utilities inside the machine that hackers can use to add a cartridge slot, making the Atari Flashback 2 work just like an original Atari 2600. Pretty neat, right?
I can’t wait to play it!
