![\"Sega](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_282936892-bab3.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe Saturn hides many hidden gems (Evan-Amos)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tThe Saturn hides many hidden gems (Evan-Amos)<\/p>\n
A reader explains why he\u2019s so disheartened with the modern video game industry and how retro gaming has reignited his passion for the medium.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re at the end of January now and 2026 has already been an avalanche of bad news, from GAME likely going bust<\/a> to Ubisoft circling the drain<\/a> and console sales being terrible over Christmas<\/a>. Everywhere you look it paints a picture of an industry out of control and out of touch with its customers. Most publishers don\u2019t seem to even want to make triple-A games anymore, just one or two live service games a year and everything else is too small to even worry about.<\/p>\n I think it\u2019s obvious where all this is going: less and less single-player games, more and more expensive consoles, and nothing but live service games and endless subscriptions. I guess that\u2019s been the case for a while now but If this is January, I\u2019d hate to think how things are going to be in just six months or so.<\/p>\n So I\u2019ve decided to embrace what has also been a trend for several years now: me playing more and more retro games instead of anything that\u2019s new. Not only has it been a ton of fun, but it\u2019s reminded me of why I love video games<\/a> and how much we\u2019ve lost over the last few decades.<\/p>\n I started gaming with the SNES. We had what I think was a Commodore 64 when I was really young but I don\u2019t really remember it or its games. I\u2019ve tried to go back to it, out of curiosity, but couldn\u2019t find anything I remembered or liked.<\/p>\n The SNES is pretty well served in terms of retro availability, if you have a Switch 2<\/a> (I\u2019m not completely stuck in the past) so if you\u2019re looking to get into the retro scene I would definitely recommend Nintendo<\/a> Switch Online + Expansion Pack, as it has lots of formats (including the Mega Drive) and for the big ones includes all the classics and a lot of obscure stuff and things that were only ever released in Japan.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/p>\n Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter<\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n I have a US and Japanese SNES (European consoles, back then, were very badly made, so they all ran slower than they\u2019re supposed to with big black borders) and some rarities, like Wild Guns, Castlevania: Dracula X, and Hagane: The Final Conflict. But most of my interest at the moment is the Sega<\/a> Saturn and Dreamcast.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Saturn is fascinating as a retro collector because it was very successful in Japan but a complete flop everywhere else. That meant it had lots of Japanese only games that were very good and which were never released in the West or which most people have never heard of.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll be honest, I\u2019ve had as much fun researching the Saturn and learning about its games as I have playing them. I guess that means I\u2019m a collector, because I actually find myself wishing I\u2019d got into it at the time, as it\u2019s almost too easy to find out about it nowadays, with all the help on the internet.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n No too easy, thankfully, because less people care about the Saturn, because it\u2019s so hard to emulate and most people don\u2019t know about its many hidden gems. Some of my favourites include fab ninja game Shinrei Jusatsushi Tar\u014dmaru, mech game Bulk Slash, the actually quite famous nowadays Radiant Silvergun, fellow shooter S\u014dky\u016bgurentai, and the Sonic style platformer Tryrush Deppy.<\/p>\n Buying games like these in good condition is quite expensive but if you bide your time and know where to look it doesn\u2019t have to cost the earth. It\u2019s certainly a lot more satisfying to me to actually own games, and have them sitting proudly on my shelf, than having to pay \u00a370 just for a digital licence. Or, just as bad, be constantly nagged to buy \u00a320+ cosmetics in a \u2018free\u2019 game.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t like modern gaming but I\u2019m loving retro the more I get into it. There\u2019s a whole world out there that most people don\u2019t know about, and I feel it\u2019ll last me longer than the triple-A games business will, before it implodes.<\/p>\n By reader Ransom<\/p>\n \t\t The reader\u2019s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.<\/p>\n You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.<\/p>\n Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a> or use our Submit Stuff page<\/a> and you won\u2019t need to send an email.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Nintendo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_282936896-1c73.jpg\")
\n\t\tNintendo Switch Online is a good starting point for the retro curious (Nintendo)<\/p>\n
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\nMORE: The video games industry is killing itself and no one seems to care – Reader’s Feature<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: What if video game locations had Internet reviews \u2013 Reader\u2019s Feature<\/a><\/p>\n