Now everyone can experience how outrageously difficult it is to reach the credits of Pokemon Stadium 2 only using rental Pokemon. It’s speedrunner strategies or bust - Wobbuffet MVP

the best way to play a game is strictly up to the player

This is always the right answer. There are very real, tangible benefits to using a CRT that isn’t just nostalgia - but anyone saying it’s the “only” way to game is just gatekeeping. I say this as someone who owns like 10 CRTs and moderates [email protected].

I do the best of both worlds, a component-input CRT paired with a hombrewed Wii to emulate retro games in their original resolution with minimal lag. If your setup keeps you happy, then that’s all that matters.

The term that’s stuck for this subgenre (for better or worse) is “Character Action”. It’s not particularly descriptive - I agree with Kamiya in that it ought to make clear that it’s in reference to the Japanese school of action game design, which is very distinct from western sensibilities.

That said, I’d consider the best western take on the genre is the indie game Furi.

You know that Kamiya is the creator of DMC and a founder of PlatinumGames, right?

I’m just glad this is going to enable more people to try these out. They’ve always deserved more attention than they’ve received - I feel like many people playing for the first time will be surprised by how substantial of a Zelda experience these are.

Ages is fantastic if you like Zelda for the puzzles. I’ve always preferred it over Seasons because of that, but honestly they’re both excellent games and criminally overlooked.

I’ll always go to bat for Gunstar Super Heroes. It’s a full on sequel to the Genesis game - hardly anyone seems to talk about it, which is a shame because it’s incredible. Easily one of the best action games on GBA, if not the best. Absolutely deserves a spot in any top GBA list, right alongside Astro Boy Omega Factor.

There’s not a whole lot you can do to improve things with RF - it’s the lowest quality signal type supported by most retro consoles, and CRTs that only had that as an input were generally older or budget sets.

Make sure you get good quality coaxial cable that isn’t fraying or super old, and keep daisy chaining of adapters to a minimum. Also, try to get RF Modulators that are OEM whenever possible. It’s still going to look rough compared to other signals, but that’s all you can really do.

By the way, there’s a CRT magazine on Kbin if you or anyone else would like to join (questions like this are encouraged over there!)

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Just totally missed the boat when they were in the zeitgeist - I ended up loving them 15 years later though.

Gunstar Super Heroes. Yeah, Gunstar Heroes had a full on sequel on the GBA and only like 10 people bought it. It’s fantastic too.

I don’t know your personal tastes, but if I had to recommend one recent game to help anyone break a rut, it would be Hi-Fi Rush.

Too many games, especially those in the AAA space, are more focused on being bloated engagement treadmills over simply being fun, concise experiences. I’d recommend seeking out shorter, offline games that don’t rely on RPG elements. It’s also ok to just take a break from gaming altogether.