Whilst the contemporary video game market continues apace with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, older video games remain extremely popular with huge sections of the games playing market. There are many facets to this; there’s the speed running scene, popularized in large part by events such as Games Done Quick which has raised millions of dollars for charity.

Of course, we couldn’t talk about retro gaming without discussing the emulation scene. What first began with hackers working to create methods of playing classic Nintendo and Gameboy games on the PC moved into the mainstream with the release of Bleem!, a commercial emulator that allowed PlayStation titles to be played on the PC with improved resolution and frame rates.

Bleem! Was something of a flash in the pan, but Nintendo’s Virtual Console on the Wii certainly wasn’t! This ‘channel’ was enjoyed by a huge section of the Wii’s more than 150 million owners, and permitted players to enjoy Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Mega Drive, and NEC PC Engine games on their new console for a small fee.

The Big Hitters: Street Fighter II

Are you old enough to remember the original Street Fighter II arcade game from 1991? I’m a little sorry to admit that I most certainly am and was a dedicated disciple of the game with my high school lunch money! I continued playing Street Fighter through its later iterations – Champion Edition, Turbo: Hyper Fighting, Super Street Fighter II, and Super Street Fighter II Turbo.

The latter game – Super Street Fighter II Turbo – is still played in competition regularly worldwide, which is a testament to the years of refinement and balancing performed by Capcom’s programmers during the 1990’s. That’s not to say that the later Street Fighter games are any less popular, however! There was a long gap in between main line titles, meaning that the fourth and fifth Street Fighter titles are both still relatively new. Again, both of these games are played in prize-based competition format in many countries as of the current time.

It’s Not Just About Video Games

Whenever something reaches the heights of popularity obtained by Street Fighter II, it’s inevitable that other industries are going to take note. The iGaming industry is just one such example – developers such as the prolific Swedish slot development house NetEnt have paid particular attention to titles such as Street Fighter II. The company created an innovative slot machine based around the game, with bonus rounds that included a VS battle and a final challenge against the game’s four iconic ‘bosses’: Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M. Bison.

NetEnt has also been an industry leader in creating music-based online slots – their Jimi Hendrix slot makes a great example, and was also released alongside other music-themed games such as Motorhead and Ozzy Osbourne. Movies and television shows are also great examples of themes for online slot machines – reality television shows such as Britain’s Got Talent and the X Factor have proven particularly popular with players, as have games based on The Terminator, Batman, and Spider Man.

Collecting Retro Video Games

In truth, the best time for collecting retro video games has probably long since passed. For those who want to collect these games to play on the original systems, the current pricing can be extremely prohibitive – there have even been several media reports in recent times regarding retro titles with million-dollar price tags. Before you go raiding the attic for your box of old games, however, keep in mind that those games were in factory-sealed condition and had been graded highly by respected authorities such as the VGA (Video Game Authority) or WATA.

There are still some bargains to be had if you are willing to search for them – flea markets and car boot sales are always great places to search for these kinds of items, and websites such as Craigslist and eBay remain extremely popular with both buyers and sellers. Something to keep in mind though – the original systems were never designed to be hooked up to modern televisions, and sometimes will require modifications before you are able to get a good picture.

Instead of paying through the nose for over-priced cartridges, why not consider modern alternatives instead? Sega and Nintendo have made huge sections of their back catalogues available in retro gaming packs for modern systems. If you really do want to play the original cartridges, take a look at the FPGA-based consoles from Analogue such as the Mega SG – they’re a little pricey, but if you are willing to pay the prices attached to the cartridges, a high-quality HDMI-based console system on which to play them should be a no-brainer.