Western Bar - Retro games making a comeback?

So if you are more than 30, there is a high probability that you might have picked up a noisy little handheld game in monochrome and kindergarten graphics called "Western Bar". I used to think that it was top of the line when it came to action games and it used to be one of my favorites alongside Tetris and Donkey Kong.

The drunk sheriff on a rampage

 So when my colleague told me that Western Bar is now available on the app store, I was surprised albeit pleasantly. Since I was on a business trip when he told me, I couldn't find a wifi hotspot to download the game. But as soon as I got back to Malaysia I made sure that I downloaded the game and played it on my iPhone 4.

Yes, the game is as noisy as before - you would annoy the shit out of your girlfriend! The graphics are as crappy as before too. But a sense of nostalgia prevails while playing the game which is quite hard to describe. I'm taken back to the good old times as a little boy fighting for the handheld game with my brother and ending up in blows! We needed our grandma as the referee and she was a tough one.

Here comes the baddie!

You shoot the sheriff and he starts bawling like a girl

So are retro games making a comeback? Are these game developers targeting the 30 somethings of today who might have played this game 20 over years ago? I think its a good move to get some initial downloads but frankly not sustainable income. I've played the game for a couple of days now and starting to feel bored of the same old storyline and predictability of the game. If you don't mind spending $0.99 to relive young childhood memories then I would encourage you to head to the appstore to download Western Bar.

It's worth the buck, for a virtual time machine!

Posted in: Games, Technology