How to Be Good at Retro Video Games (Yes You Can) - Retro Bird

In this video, I give tips that can make anybody better at retro video games.

How to Be Good at Retro Video Games (Yes You Can) - Retro Bird / How to Improve Your Retro Gaming Skills

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#retrobird

[RetroBirdGaming]

Games played: Contra (0:00), Ristar (0:11), Revenge of Shinobi (0:30), Castlevania (0:45), Battletoads (1:00), Altered Beast (4:15), Dark Souls (5:10), Metroid Prime (7:43)

[PackersEvar]

This month I finally beat Batman on NES. It's the only NES game I've beaten. I'm so proud but I don't have anyone to share my excitement, so I'm sharing with you all here

[ikee]

The best advice I would give is something retrobird taught me in a previous video. That is to set a goal of just getting a bit further then last play through. Sure its goning to take a couple of times, but having this mindset made me feel like a winner everytime I finally got passed a difficult area or a boss even if I died right after it. Thanks retrobird for this valuable lesson!

[LittleBigKidb]

I'm in my 40s and came back full circle to 2D gaming some 10 years ago. Don't find pleasure in playing 99% of AAA games these days. So going back and conquering or even discovering some amazing 2D games from the past has given me so much joy. My most recent accomplishment was beating the first Contra on the Contra Collection without using continues.

What I did was I would no-miss each level, then use a save state and go to the next. I did that till I "mastered" each and every level. Then I went back and did the whole game in one run. So, as Retro Bird mentioned, using save states can be a good way to practice. BTW, OP, love the thought provoking topics you come up with. 🤘

[mark]

As an 80's kid, NES taught me to A. never give up, things are doable, & B. some games are simply borderline broken/too challening for a good time. Super C is a game I've never defeated single player & I keep going back - nice balance of NES hard & enjoyable play.

[Portal]

Playing Staying Alive on loop seems to keep me on track to winning games. lol

[dad]

Retro gaming advice. The 4 P's. Patience, practice, patterns =perfection. 😊

[ilmco]

the right mindset is the key to succeeding at anything. some people don’t have the patience to try to figure it out which is probably “half the battle”

[messinround]

The input latency section of this video is vital.
Shit, I've personally had to explain to at least three people why playing Super Mario 64 felt so much worse than they remembered. (They were plugging the composite input directly into their laggy, old-gen LCD tvs)
I wish there was general wide-spread awareness about input latency. So EVERYBODY could give retro games a fair shot...

[ertlexpress]

I recently beat Zelda II for the first time on original hardware no save states or rewind (NEVER AGAIN) and really it is basically what you said keep trying over and over again, memorize enemy patterns, defend and I'll add something here, a good walkthrough is a lifesaver!

[JanTheMangaMan]

My advice is to never let the game get under your skin too much. The more you continue to lose to your frustration, the more your ability to play properly goes down. Trust me as a guy that has blown a bit of a fuse at times with some really tough retro games it can really ruin your flow big time. Maybe pause and take a short break if you can't beat a certain level to ease your mind. Remember gaming is meant to be fun not stressful

[md]

Save states are incredibly useful and a game changer. When you have to start over from scratch it makes it easier for me to forget strategy.

[diodora]

I feel like an emphasis on mastery over completion is important for your mindset in retro gaming. A lot of people usually talk about games in completion terms since that's how most games are structured now, but that's not exactly the point for retro games. It's a lot more about the mastery side.

I recently got into Mike Tyson's Punch Out, and the game can be brutally difficult at time, but the real fun is getting good at the game. What's the fun of completing the game if you're not any better. Being able to absolutely whoop fighters who gave you trouble before is one of the most satisfying things ever. I remember beating Soda Popinski without even sweating where as before he'd whoop me real good. Punch Out kind of carries the spirit of retro games, since Little Mac is actually a wimpy fighter, but its his fighting spirit and determination to get better than carry him to victory. You never get any upgrades and little mac never gets stronger, so it's up to you to learn how to take down each of these towering fighters that can knock you down in a couple of hits, sometimes even just one. That's kind of the fun of retro games, mastery.

[CasperEgas]

I think it helps not to give up too easily, but don't keep trying for too long, as usually you will get frustrated and impatient at that point. Play something else in between if that happens.

[Carrey]

Rising up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive

[slamshift]

And when all else fails, bring a player 2! Nothing makes it suck less like a buddy!

[TimewornUncle]

I care that you beat the Turbo Tunnel. Good on you.

[apexanomaly]

To piggyback off what you were saying about not jumping into the fray, I find that that keeping enemies to one side of you is almost always the best idea.

[jjmini]

One thing id like to add is dont be afraid to be creative (save states really help this) and dont feel ashamed or discouraged if you are dying a lot. So much of retro gaming is your nerves and as long as you can control them and you have the practice you can get through most anything. Another tip I have is sleeping and coming back to a game will level you up if you are getting proper sleep. I got all gold berries in Celeste basically by playing right before bed or taking a nap and then going back to the game lol. I say this as a speedrunner with previous world records on multiple games who played retro games one handed for a year+ . You wont believe how much ive died trying something out or just feeling out my comfort zones! I see so many new and old players alike get upset or embarrassed when dying. Dont be embarrassed ever I promise you we are all learning at every level

[HarmonicWave]

OMG! I couldn't breathe after the Ninja Gaidon joke, that was top tier. 4:24