Things you like in games caused by technical limitations

[AnthonyWronka]

I'm talking about things like power ups in megaman matching the color palette of megaman or mirror colored raiden in the genesis port of mortal kombat 2 firing a red lightning bolt instead of blue.

[celerystalker]

I really like the plain black backgrounds used in many NES games and old arcade games. In games that are meant to be creepy like Dr Chaos, Metroid, Phantom Fighter, etc., the flat black adds to the sense of darkness and isolation, even though it's just there to save use of colors and backgrounds.

I also like the music from many NES, GB, Turbografx, Genesis, etc. games, which have unique sounds due to the limitations of the sound chips and required a lot of creativity. The music from Kid Icarus, Rygar, and Legacy of the Wizard are some of my favorites.

I also like 2D sports games with their simplistic controls and fast gameplay. The pitching in baseball games like RBI Baseball, Baseball Stars, Baseball Simulator 1.000, and more eschew menus in favor of active ball control, and with skilled players can get crazy and fun. Hockey games with top of side views like Blades of Steel, Ice Hockey, or NHLPA '93 may not be simulations, but the gameplay is faster and requires less strategic planning and more active skill, which I greatly prefer. Same with older football games like NES Play Action Football or Tecmo Bowl or even Atari Football.

[AnthonyWronka]

I really like the plain black backgrounds used in many NES games and old arcade games. In games that are meant to be creepy like Dr Chaos, Metroid, Phantom Fighter, etc., the flat black adds to the sense of darkness and isolation, even though it's just there to save use of colors and backgrounds.

I also like the music from many NES, GB, Turbografx, Genesis, etc. games, which have unique sounds due to the limitations of the sound chips and required a lot of creativity. The music from Kid Icarus, Rygar, and Legacy of the Wizard are some of my favorites.

I also like 2D sports games with their simplistic controls and fast gameplay. The pitching in baseball games like RBI Baseball, Baseball Stars, Baseball Simulator 1.000, and more eschew menus in favor of active ball control, and with skilled players can get crazy and fun. Hockey games with top of side views like Blades of Steel, Ice Hockey, or NHLPA '93 may not be simulations, but the gameplay is faster and requires less strategic planning and more active skill, which I greatly prefer. Same with older football games like NES Play Action Football or Tecmo Bowl or even Atari Football.

on the black backgrounds I liked that the skybox was always black in the original tomb raider, made everything seem underground

[FieryReign]

Slowdown in particular shootemups, can be a life saver. If that even makes sense.

[SpaceHarrier]

I like how sometimes a troublesome enemy can be made to 'disappear' just by scrolling them back off screen for a moment. Of course, there are also many games that do the opposite of this..

Also, games that let you abuse rolling over integers.. such as X-Com: UFO Defense on the original Playstation. If you recruit too many scientists, it accidentally calculates them as costing you nothing for monthly salary.

[Pr3tty F1y]

I love the chunky polygon look of StarFox because you knew it was something special at the time.

These days you can push way more polygons, do all sorts of fancy things to them, and make them look realistic (or better). Or you can create modern games with a "retro" look to match the visuals of StarFox, but it's just not the same.

It's that moment of amazement that your consumer-level console is delivering you something you never expected it could and that's something that's totally lacking from games these days. Revolutions never happen within console generations anymore. Games may evolve and get slightly prettier later in the life of modern consoles, but the difference from early releases to later releases is relatively minor.

To me, this died with the 16-bit era.

I'm sure the same could be said from those who lived through the era of the Intellivision and were able to get an Intellivoice speech synth module along with Bomb Squad or B-17 Bomber. It must of amazed at the time.

[buzz_n64]

Slowdown in particular shootemups, can be a life saver. If that even makes sense.

I like the slow down in these games too where there are too many damn things coming at you at once. The same with in beat 'em ups. It gives you enough time to see what the CPU is going to do to you next and gives you time to get out of the tricky situation.

[Flojomojo]

I sill find charming the recycled graphics, plain black backgrounds, and one-try-before-you-die features of the good ("Challenger Series") Odyssey 2 games.

[Emperor Megas]

Of course I love slow down in shooters.

I also like fog used to mask draw low distance. I especially like it in the Early Silent Hill games, but also in Nintendo 64 games.

I like chip tune sound glitches that you can exploit for wacky effects, like the part in the main Alex Kidd in Miracle World theme that 'scratches' if you break a rock at just the right moment.

[celerystalker]

Of course I love slow down in shooters.

I also like fog used to mask draw low distance. I especially like it in the Early Silent Hill games, but also in Nintendo 64 games.

I like chip tune sound glitches that you can exploit for wacky effects, like the part in the main Alex Kidd in Miracle World theme that 'scratches' if you break a rock at just the right moment.

That reminds me of a sound glitch I love in Super Mario Bros. 2, where if you time a star wearing off and the music from the bonus areas where you get your coins and mushrooms starting up just as you go back through the door to the regular level, the music will replace the regular music in the stage until you finish it or enter another door.

[Thrillo]

That reminds me of a sound glitch I love in Super Mario Bros. 2, where if you time a star wearing off and the music from the bonus areas where you get your coins and mushrooms starting up just as you go back through the door to the regular level, the music will replace the regular music in the stage until you finish it or enter another door.
I remember finding that glitch, it was pretty awesome!

I love the slowdown that happens in '80s-early '90s shmups. Some of those games seem to be built with that limitation in mind, such as SNES Gradius 3.

[SparTonberry]

I'm doubting it was intentional.
It was probably just them learning how to program on the SNES (it was one of the first third-party games, I think even the first released in North America).

I mean, half the stage 6 boss just flickers out of existence. You rarely see flicker in a SNES game, let alone that bad. :P