It's the elements of these games that you can identify with that attracts you, like the simple ideas in retro 2600 games - a younger kid might not quite grasp modern games to the point where they feel comfortable - but with a simple joystick and simple games, they can achieve more.
I loved the 2600, admittedly not as much as the Spectrum or C64, but besides the ropey graphics, the gameplay was always solid, smooth as well. Personally I can see more simplistic gaming coming back, perhaps just in elements like mini-games, but the home-brew that people actually play is all kinda gameplay orientated. Like SnakeSP on the PSP, or Geometry Wars Evolved on the 360 - really retro styled graphics, simplistic except for the extra oomph you get nowadays, like Geo-wars warping backdrop. Simple gameplay, retro but pretty graphics, this does not work on every format but when they get the balance right it makes for a really special and memorable game. Hell, I'll remember Mono and Duo longer than most commercial games because they're so distinctive and styled, but also because they had the classic 'easy as hell migrating to impossible' gameplay.
The 2600 seems to fit in any era, because these simple games were the 2600's bread and butter, it's like the original point of playing games got lost over the decades, and these platforms keep coming back to remind us. Sooooo, who else wants one of these things? - only £20, and they have a small version of the 2600's wrist-snapper joystick (if you've used one then you'll know what I mean). Sorted for retro this month.
''Stick that in your text and scroll it!.''
