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

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Why XBLA, Virtual Console and PSN offer some of the most exciting experiences on your machine

At the end of the day, it's still the gameplay that matters. And not just to the new Nintendo mass-market of supposed 'casual gamers'. Forget the novelty of the waggle, it's the immediacy of the experience that is capturing the hearts of gamers old and new. Defiant in the face of Sony and Microsoft's race for progress, Nintendo still stands for everything I love about traditional videogames. And that's a strange thing for me to say, as I was a Sega fan as a child. Nintendo was my sworn enemy! But the big N has won me over because the values it demonstrates in its first-party software are appealing to me.


Above: Super Stardust HD is a pure videogame and a bargain to boot

And instead of spending £30 on another brain-training Wii game, we suggest some Virtual Console classics like Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros (or World), Mario Kart 64, Donkey Kong Country 2,The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, Streets of Rage II, F-Zero X, Sonic 3 or Gunstar Heroes.

Don't get us wrong, there's a lot of crap on all these download services too - every console has its share of donkey droppings. But have a look at what people are talking about in theretro section of our forum, check out our own recommendations, then have yourself the best gaming of your life. The adventure starts here.

Justin Towell
Justin Towell
Freelance Writer

Justin was a GamesRadar+ staffer for 10 years but is now a freelance writer, 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.