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Is Going Retro Lazy?

It’s no secret that Mega Man 9 is coming soon to the Wii virtual console, as well as XBLA and PSN. In a time where video games are being remade, reinstated, and revived, there’s no doubt in my mind that retro is beginning to look cool to modern day gamers. With that said, one question remains — is leaving a classic untouched a good thing, or is it downright lazy?

Some games, such as Final Fantasy IV (which is making its return to the Nintendo DS July 22nd), are being dramatically changed from their classic counterpart with new graphics, new dialogue, and modified gameplay. Then there are games like Chrono Trigger DS, which is more or less a port of the SNES classic to the DS. However, there’s one category that stands out above the rest.

Retro-styled games.

Mega Man 9 is a good example of this. A “retro-styled game” is a game that is completely new but uses the same graphics and gameplay style as that of its classic predecessors. Mega Man 9 will use 8-bit graphics and generally follow the same two button control scheme it did in the 80s on the NES. But is this lazy?

Some believe that this direction is a great idea. I know I, for one, am super excited to get my hands on the game. Bringing back the gameplay and graphics of the NES days helps old gamers relive their childhoods and introduces new gamers to a whole new world of gaming that they have never experienced before.

At the same time, however, people are claiming this is a lazy direction on Capcom’s part. There are few new graphics that are being brought to the title. Much of it is reused from past games. If it isn’t reused, it’s very simple to make.

Is this lazy though? I’m inclined to say that it isn’t. Sure, the game was developed rather quickly because of the stylistic choice the game was being made in, but this helps the developers to put their focus on the most important piece of any game — the game play.

I have no doubt that Mega Man 9, just as the other remake titles, will be a pleasure to play. I’m just hoping this direction will reach a whole new audience where young gamers will stop focusing on graphics and start asking themselves one question: “is this fun to play?”