Classic Gaming and the Smart Device

             

Chances are if you’re a serious gamer you own a fairly recent gaming console like the X-Box 360, the PS3 or even a PC and are looking to the future and anticipating the next generation of gaming consoles. But almost every gamer has had his or her own golden age of gaming; everyone has those games that bring a wave of nostalgia rushing back. Whether you started with an Atari playing asteroids, Mario on the NES, Sonic on the Sega, or even Final Fantasy VII on the PlayStation, every gamer has their own classic games and most want to relive their glory days. But what can gamers do to facilitate it when their old consoles, games or controllers no longer work?

            PlayStation offers a range of classic games on the PlayStation network, and Nintendo has a lot of their own classic titles on the Nintendo eShop. But what about players who don’t own a Sony or Nintendo console? A lot of gamers have been looking to their smart devices, a very convenient way to game in today’s time. There are many classics like Megaman X on iOS, Sonic the Hedgehog or some of the Final Fantasy games available for download on many smart devices, be it phone or tablet. There are however problems with a lot of these “remastered” versions of the games we know and love. Many have been altered to the point of being unrecognizable; plus where are all the classics like Mario, Zelda, Vectorman, Battle Toads, and Golden Eye? Are we supposed to forget these games, or is there another alternative?

            The bitter taste of a game being gone forever is not one that can be gotten rid of easily.  So how do we revive a game that died long ago when their creators show no support or make choppy ports for the devices we now own? Well, there’s emulation software. There are a lot of emulators for old gaming systems like the NES, Sega Genesis, PlayStation One, Nintendo 64, etc. that can play ROM or ISO image files created from cartridges or CDs of classic games. To legally play an emulated game, one should own the system and the game itself, as there are ways to create a BIOS file from each system and ROM or ISO files from the games. This takes classic gaming to a whole new level, allowing one to play unaltered versions of the original game. Along with the portability of smart devices, these games can be played on the go.

            There are great ways to relive classic games, and smart devices have expanded the world of classic gaming far beyond any other platform. So whenever you get the urge to play a classic game just grab your phone or tablet and start looking, chances are you’ll find a way.