Whatever happened to those days of being able to go and play games with friends and strangers alike in Arcades? The sheer joy of these places is gone in many parts of the country. Of course there are arcades still open, but the majority of them are closed, or at least reduced in size.
These classics need to make a return.
Pre-ordered mine a few days ago. Love this concept and hope there are more games announced. I can’t justify paying the prices for games that collectors are asking for. It’s the primary reason I own almost every console except the Neo Geo.
I've pre ordered one here in the UK, no games though, as I'll move it on for a higher price. The white model looks awesome, but as expected, the price is too high. We'll probably see more of those all in one cartridges from China containing every AES game. In the UK, AES+ game at £70 ($95) is better than eye watering prices for the originals, but these games are so old and I can honestly say SNK didn't release many classics. The Metal Slug series is the only series I rate, there were just too many Street Fighter clones and not enough scrolling fighting games. Overall, the Neo Geo was poor for all genres apart from one on one fighters. Videos on YouTube asking for games from that console generation to be ported to the AES+, but who'd want to pay £70 for Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter 2? There's a lot of SNK collections out there, the best being Metal Slug Anthology on the PlayStation 2. The Street Fighter Anniversary Collection on the Switch contains 12 games for around £30, instead of £840 if released on the AES+. For collectors, the AES+ is the best news since sliced bread. Are there enough SNK fans out there? Nowhere near. Those £70 cartridges will soon start creeping up in price and it'll be a re-run of the original console.
I always wanted one in the 90's but couldn't afford it. Now i can but i think if i get one it will be collecting dust fast. It's a nostalgia thing i guess.
"Boutique publisher SNEG has joined forces with Games Workshop and its developer & publisher partners to unveil their new label in classic video game preservation with Warhammer Classics. Now available on Steam in an accessible, future-proofed form, this massive undertaking restores more than 20 seminal and cult-favorite Warhammer video games, bringing them back to PC." - Games Workshop and SNEG.
It's important in life to maintain a broad palette when it comes to culture and the arts. Hideo Kojima agrees, as he continues to use video games like Death Stranding to introduce people to music and other elements they might not otherwise discover.
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There are still many arcades out there and are usually a small part of a bigger recreational area.
Gaming has gone on line ( as pointed out ) and many kids the world over now " KINECT " ( see what I did there ;D ) on line and play all their favorite titles with gamers from every walk of life the world over...ain't technology grand.
There have been many clubs organized around online titles with groups meeting up and taking part in group get together's outside of gaming like the resurgence in paintball leagues recently.
In Regards to On line gaming...
...People outside of gaming think it's harming social interaction and creating some sort of shut in culture. There is some truth to that but it's a more complex thing than that black and white answer. If you never go out side and never interact with others than yes, that's a big problem but I would argue that whatever problem those people have has nothing to do with gaming and is a deeper psychological problem.