The best thing to come out of new-gen is old-gen

The most current example is the forthcoming PSN title Dark Mist - a game set in a mystical dungeon that you tackle a screen at a time. You have a few varied weapons and a smart bomb to clear the screen, and there are sub-bosses to face before you meet a big baddy after a few levels. There are secret items to find, collectables to power up your character (see how many boxes this is ticking?) but crucially - and what makes the difference for modernity - graphics that take advantage of the PS3's vast capabilities. This is the sort of game I imagined I was playing when I was 8 years old, lost in the imaginary worlds of the Spectrum 128k.

But of course, home consoles aren't the only new-gen systems. Look again at that technological advance. Trailing some ten years behind the inexorable behemoth of progress were the handheld machines. Technology-wise, GBA caught up with SNES, DS caught up with N64 and PSP caught up with... well, not quite PS2, so maybe Dreamcast. And they've all been a big success. I don't believe it's purely for their portability. How many times have you sat on your sofa, passing up the opportunity to play your main console, and settled down to a long Advance Wars, Animal Crossing or LocoRoco session instead?


Above: New Super Mario Bros has been a mainstayof the sales chart for some 87 weeks - proof that retro-like games still hold mass appeal

DS stands for everything I've been talking about. And it's not just my opinion - more members of the GamesRadar team personally own a DS than not. One GR editor claims he won't play 3D games on it because it 'just feels wrong'. And, considering PSP is more like a modern home console than DS, with its competent 3D capabilities - is it coincidence that it's not been anywhere near as commercially successful as its Nintendo rival?

Justin Towell

Justin was a GamesRadar staffer for 10 years but is now a freelancer, musician and videographer. He's big on retro, Sega and racing games (especially retro Sega racing games) and currently also writes for Play Magazine, Traxion.gg, PC Gamer and TopTenReviews, as well as running his own YouTube channel. Having learned to love all platforms equally after Sega left the hardware industry (sniff), his favourite games include Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams, Zelda BotW, Sea of Thieves, Sega Rally Championship and Treasure Island Dizzy.