How to review retro games?

FancyWeasel

FancyWeasel

I've Got It
Hi!

The title quite says it, I really like and would review retro games, but compared to newer games I'm pretty sure that they should be judged differently, but then comes the question, how?

Like probably the story/plot isn't always that important, and maybe controls were more important, and the bigger question is how am I supposed to decide that a game has good or bad graphics, or how do you decide that? So what are your guidelines at reviewing retro games if you have?

Any advice is highly appreciated! :D
 
The problem there is that the review would in some way be biased due to the different time periods if you want to judge them differently. Games I played 10 years ago look absolutely atrocious by today's standards, but in their time they were the best of the best. You'll need to find a balance that doesn't result in it being subjective. Otherwise creating a general review would be a better idea i.e. avoiding things like graphics, audio etc... because a review is meant to benefit the consumers and this is why if it were me and I were to review a retro game today, I'd apply the same standards I have now for consistency and fairness because most importantly it can still have an effect on whether someone buys it or not.
 
WolfWraith said:
The problem there is that the review would in some way be biased due to the different time periods if you want to judge them differently. Games I played 10 years ago look absolutely atrocious by today's standards, but in their time they were the best of the best. You'll need to find a balance that doesn't result in it being subjective. Otherwise creating a general review would be a better idea i.e. avoiding things like graphics, audio etc... because a review is meant to benefit the consumers and this is why if it were me and I were to review a retro game today, I'd apply the same standards I have now for consistency and fairness because most importantly it can still have an effect on whether someone buys it or not.
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Yeah, that is kind of my problem, like how to find that balance, and not being subjective, or how to compare different old games' graphics

Of course I could make a general review, that'd probably do it, but if I'd do a review I'd like to cover as much of the game as I can, and not "hiding away" from the graphics and audio, because they are there and there should be a way to cover those aspects of the game, even if it's an old one.
 
Talking about the graphics and soundtrack, I'd mention them compared to the year the game came out, and/or to similar games. Everything else (plot, controls etc) should not be influenced by age.
 
i know a lot of people who review retro games, even did it myself in the past. the best way to do it is by not reviewing it as a old game since every game in the retro era was limited to the technology its not fair to say that the sounds, graphic, controls, etc are bad its not like they had a choice. whats important is the history of the game and how it affected the current game, for example sonic game it had no story, no tails, no amy, nothing saything he was the fastest, that is how you make a good review on a retro game. just remember to do your research because there will be people that will correct you on it.
 
As a retro reviewer myself, I can tell you I just avoid talking about the graphics entirely. Honestly, I don't necessarily feel as though it's needed unless there comes a time where the game is actually hindered by how poor it looks. Which is rarely. The person watching my reviews can determine what they think of it as they watch the review. That's what the gameplay is there for. I just mention the console before anything else and hope they understand it was a product of the time.

In terms of reviewing the soundtrack, I don't necessarily enjoy that either. I have it so I'm always talking over one of the game's soundtracks (or more) so people can hear it while listening to my review. I'm not the best person to talk to about music. I am very uneducated when it comes to music. I just know that "This sounds good" "This sounds bad" "Meh".

I would say to just develop a process you make when reviewing older content. If you're going to judge a game by it's graphics, compare it to other games that came out the same year. As far as the music goes, just giving your opinion will do.
 
You could either treat it as though you were reviewing the game based on when it came out and what the influence was and whether it still holds water today.
Or you could take a comedic turn and treat it like a game you've never played and react to everything. It depends on whether you want to be funny or informative or both.

My guideline is always analyse the graphics based on the console/time period and the budget and so forth. I recently reviewed a wii game that looked borderline a ps1 game, so I made fun of the graphics. Also if the graphics are aesthetically ugly, regardless then you can critique that.

But I think regardless of whether the game is old or new, you have to concentrate on the GAMEPLAY. That's the idea of a game. So don't concentrate too much on whether it's old or new and whether the graphics are good or not. Review how the game plays, and whether it's still fun today, still sucks to this day, or lost its charm.
 
When I make retro reviews I try to find the aspects that make the game unique. When it comes to technology limitations of the time, I think most people will have an idea of what to expect from certain consoles generations. Good graphics by today's standard will probably look bad in the years to come. However, some retro games do look bad for their time.

Gameplay on the other hand is either good or bad, and that has nothing to do with when the game came out. So when I make reviews I focus on whether the experience was fun or not.
 
As well as everything that has been said, if you've played the game before then you can talk about the memories you have of it and the aspects of the game you really liked at the time.
 
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