I'm Afraid I Can't Let You Do That, Dave....When "Upgrades" Go Wrong

Written by Ryan Johnson (RyanDJ) Sunday, 24 July 2011 05:00

Everyone knows the infamous feature removals of the PS3 era, but there have been other points throughout gaming history where an "upgrade" either made nearly impossible or flat out killed a major gaming moment. Click in to see if you remember them all!

The Case of the Missing iLink

My friends and I loved hooking our PS1s together like giant Game Boys for bouts of Ridge Racer or Bushido Blade, and when the PS2 had a link, we even set up 2 TVs in the dorm to prepare. Countless nights were spent linking games like Gran Turismo or Time Crisis 2 as they were meant to be in the arcade. Then, the remodel of the PS2 removed the iLink port. Before the Internet made console connection common, this was a major tragedy for fans. Today, even if they would be rereleased, it wouldn't be the same in different houses. The only way to appreciate these games is to hunt down an old PS2 Fat.

Hi Def Kills the Light Gun

Ever try to hook your NES to your HDTV for some Duck Hunt? You were most likely disappointed. HD creates a clearer pic because it doesn't use the tri color pixel bars you see when you stand too close to the TV. These bars are integral to traditional light gun operation. If you see light gun games these days, they are more gesticulating with a Wiimote with a target reticule on screen, because there's no way yet for the remotes to know how big your TV is. Looks like at least one reason to store away an SDTV...for now at least.

Nintendo thumbs its nose at DS  Accessories

There are a few games that try to augment your DS experience through adding buttons via the Advance slot. Most notable are the Guitar Hero games, but there also was a KORG synthesizer cart and the original DS Rumble Pack which I used with Elite Beat Agents. When the DSi arrived, the extra port was removed, making these experiences impossible on new systems.

X-Men, meet the Nomad

A bit more specific, my favorite sneaky part of a game ever was when the Danger Room was infected, and the X-Men had to "reset the system"....which meant physically getting up and resetting your Genesis! This kicked the game into the final "real-world" level. Well, the Nomad had no reset button, making the game 100 percent unbeatable. Guess Magneto won that one......

The Coaxial Conundrum and a Looming Threat

Just as there were issues when over air TV went digital (despite years of warning) new relegations will require any Hi-Def signals to go through HDMI; even component will be phased out. We are lucky that most cable boxes still have coaxial options, therefore an input for an oldschool Atari still exists. But even now, I have a friend who may be forced to upgrade to Blu-Ray, even though he could care less. He had to buy a new TV since his old one died, and there are 4 HDMI ports, and not much else. He only has one port his three current entertainment modules connect through, and people say he "has" to upgrade. We have had talks about this in a previous article, but I still stand by the notion that nobody should be forced to upgrade if they don't want to. We may have to hold onto vintage TVs as we age if we want the classic systems to still work!

So, there you have it. Maybe not directly through things gaming companies did, but these are all issues that have changed the ease at which we can play some older games. Is there any resolution? Well, basically, once every single one of these games hits a virtual console faithfully ported, then these will not be a problem, unless you count the fact that you may already own them and have to re-buy them to play them...but I guess in the end, the company would want you to do that anyway. :)