Hanging onto the past: Obesession?

Drunken Ghost

Browsing through the PSN, WII-Channel, and XBL recently I realized just how bizzare it is that we keep getting re-releases of old games. It made me think back to Nintendo primarily; with all of the re-releases that we have had on the SNES, GBA etc. But really this is something that all consoles have been perpetuating.

So what the hell is the deal? Do we really demand that SMB 3 be released every year on every Nintendo console? Are gamer's trying to hold onto their childhoods? Are these classics being purchased by younger gamers?

And is there maybe a better way to collect these classics? Having the digital copy on your 360 HDD only means so much for so long, and having the original console and original game isn't always a practical idea. So where are we headed?

Lunker

In the Dragon Quest IV DS thread, I saw a number of people talking about how they had never played the game before and only got into the series because of DQVIII on PS2. This, and the fact that I was able to get my 8-year-old nephew excited about the original Super Mario Bros. on the VC, convinced me of the viability of rereleases and updated/expanded ports.

I think all of the reasons you mentioned play a role. It seems strange, but on the other hand, as gaming systems fade from popularity, break or otherwise become inaccessible, there really isn't any other good way to experience older games other than rereleasing them. You can find DVDs of classic films or albums from dozens of years ago that are still playable on a device you bought this morning; I think the same should be possible with gaming.

The debate about pixel-perfect ports versus modernized, updated versions is a whole other story, though.

Chen

I didn't mind buying the GBA rereleases because a. they're portable and b. it's been a long time since I've played these ancient games. In SMB3's case the visuals even improved quite a bit and Luigi wasn't just a copy and paste job. I'd imagine people will fall for Chrono Trigger for pretty much the same reason.

As for digital distribution, I don't make use of it that much, but that's because I like things to be tangent and portable. I reckon the DSi and its VC store will be a huge success because of its portability. At least in Japan it will be.