The ‘Megaman 9’ Trend of Retro Gaming (And Why It Matters…)

Jesse | Mar 14, 2009

Owning a Nintendo Entertainment System, who could forget the endless nights playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Super Mairo Bros.?  Or how about running around through loops and corkscrews in the Sega Genesis’ Sonic the Hedgehog or using magic and swords in Final Fantasy IV on the Super Nintendo?  Nostalgia is definitely a big factor for those that lived through the rebirth of the console gaming era in the 80s.  Times have obviously changed.  Consoles now output HD quality fidelity with a massive amount of First Person Shooters like Halo to Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games like World of Warcraft or with motion control like Wii Sports.

However, in recent years, there has been a big resurgence in retro gaming and not just counting on Nintendo DS and Sony PSP titles.  Not only are many older games being remade, retouched, and resold in the present day, brand new products fearlessly sport the retro vibe.  Some may call it a shameless marketing tactic to milk franchises.  Others may think that it’s a smart sell to the growing adult gaming base with blatant nostalgia or perhaps some may presume that developers want to re-explore the era and pay tribute or even challenge themselves.  It really is a mixture of all those factors and many more as these retro games will not only pervade the industry further but also may come to help the future direction of gaming as long as developers and publishers make smart choices.

What exactly is retro gaming?  It is a really broad category that can constitute a multitude of different elements.  Retro gaming can be retro remakes (Bionic Commando Rearmed), emulated ports (the Wii’s Virtual Console library), retro sequels (Contra IV), and original retro games (Retro Game Challenge).  The history of when this all began is tough to pinpoint with this broad definition however.  Almost every system after the 16-bit Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis had some type of retro game such as Final Fantasy Anthology for the Playstation (ports of Final Fantasy V and VI) or the Gamecube’s Animal Crossing including ports of NES games.

Nevertheless, Capcom made headlines, last year, when they announced they were releasing a brand new Mega Man game for the Wii/PS3/Xbox 360…not with modern day technology but with old school, 8-bit graphics as it was on the NES.  Mega Man 9 was released on each of the current generation systems’ downloadable servers in the time span between late September and early October.  It was big news for several reasons.  One, it was a big name franchise released on consoles using an online downloadable format.  Many of these older styled games had been relegated to extras, handheld releases, or compilations releases.  Two, it was purposefully 8-bit and old school.  Most companies, again, relegate retro releases to smaller and less fanfare formats and usually keep their main franchises in 3D and utilizing modern tech.  And finally, it was as merciless in its difficulty as its older counterparts, which goes against the modern-day general rule in trying to keep everything…well, easier or less ‘archaic.’

Why does this matter to the gaming industry, gamers, and even the casual gamer?  The gaming industry has been in an interesting position as of late.  Although the cheaper platforms like the DS and PSP let publishers/developers spend less amount of money in creating their game, the HD revolution has also created far riskier scenarios for most companies.  A top-tier game with a lot of hype that bombs not only is a major bust in terms of franchise control…it could spell doom for the company itself as millions of dollars in development, marketing, and distribution went into it.  Megman 9 gives two answers to this conundrum.  One is the viability of digital distribution.  Although specific sales number are not out, Capcom has reported that the numbers have made them content.  Two, the risk itself is not detrimental to the survival of the company.  A small team of ten can create a game compared to the hundreds working on a top-tier game like Halo along with a comparatively tinier marketing cost and a very different distribution model through online services…small enough even to be sold on the Wii.  Some may comment that jobs are lost because of the smaller teams, yet to put it in a different perspective, many skilled technicians and artists are given jobs in a craft that many thought would never be needed.

Perhaps one other important assumption with these retro originals is that it challenges developers to work under constraints and let genres that originated from the 8-bit or 16-bit era (but are not doing so well on current-day systems) get back to the foundation where they worked better.  Megaman 9 plays so well because it brings back the precision and execution before the graphics and flair.  Many other series and genres can benefit from this too, such as Sonic which seems to have completely lost its footing in the modern video gaming era.  This works towards the gamers’ advantage as this success gives game companies options to focus on creating games that many loyal fans have been waiting for and experiment in a low-risk situation (along with the cheaper price tag).  Perhaps most importantly, it gives casual gamers and younger gamers an intriguing peek into the past while still, hopefully, creating a sense of fun and entertainment that is successful because of this design choice.

Is this a double standard though to say that films should stop worrying about rebooting old franchises while game publishers should look back to the past?  I think not.  Instead, I believe both formats are similar in that they both are constantly looking back to the past for inspiration and guidance, although for gaming, many foundations are forgotten and to make a great game is to literally start from scratch.  Retro gaming is both a reminder and a great tool to relearn the basics of what makes entertaining games.  And of course, it is up to the companies to create quality retro products while not putting up a half-hearted effort to make money.

This also is not to say that there are great modern games today that use motion controls well or look and play wonderfully on a huge plasma television.  Instead, it gives developers and publishers an avenue to explore old franchises, relearn tricks, and create a less riskier revenue stream.  And it definitely seems like steam is growing for the retro vibe.  Konami is releasing Gradius Rebirth as a throwback to the shooter from the 16-bit era while Bit.Trip.Beat is an original Pong inspired game that uses rhythms and very retro noises and graphics to create a different and compelling package.  Retro gaming is not just a thing of the past.  It is an inspiration for better gaming for everyone.