So I dusted off the old master system and started playing a few games I remember from childhood. A lot of them have dated badly, I'd forgotten how difficult some of these games were. Take California Games for example, while bringing back all sorts of nostalgic memories it really sucks that I can't catch a damn frisbee to save my life! I don't think I've ever caught the frisbee but when I was a kid it somehow didn't matter. Perhaps modern games have ruined this classic with easy to pull off wall runs and spinning kicks? Perhaps we're spoilt by easy to control games? Perhaps California is and always has been rubbish but its only by comparison to far superior developments games like this are revealed to be the turds they really are. Reminds me of when I bought International Track & Field from xbox marketplace now that I think about it...

Still its not all disappointment. The old sega system had some brilliant early RPG games and these are still as good and as enjoyable as ever. Miracle Warriors still feels like an epic quest with an awe inspiring selection of 8-bit rendered enemies even if the battle options do pale in comparison to the rpgs we play now. Phantasy Star still has all the charm and challenge that made it great even if it does suffer from rubbish spellling, not just in the title either. The final retro RPG I want to mention is Golvellius. Anybody who's stumbled across one of my posts about retro games will probably have already realised this is a faveourite of mine. It could have been massive - it was better than Zelda - really, it was, but disappeared as suddenly as it had lit up the sega master system, but its wonderful landscapes, enemies, magical items, faeries and blue guys will never be forgotten by this gamer at least.