His argument comes down to the fact that calling something “retro” is incorrect – each game has its own qualities that deserve to be understood beyond just the nostalgia cultivated by the novelty-driven industry.
“I don't like the term ‘retro game’. I am not a native English speaker, so perhaps I am interpreting it from a Japanese perspective, but the word ‘retro’ from a Japanese viewpoint rather implies a ‘fad’ brought over from a past era and reworked for the current one.”
“Therefore, I prefer the terms ‘old games’ or ‘classic games’ because they express greater respect for games of the past. I love games of all generations, and just because a game is called ‘retro’ doesn't make it retro, because it is the very same game that existed years or decades ago — it still exists, it can still be played, and it still offers an experience that is unique in its own right — so there is no need to call it ‘retro’ because it evokes special memories and impressions that stay with you across all these years.”
As an example, he cited PlatinumGames' shooter Sol Cresta, which was released last year
“We didn't make Sol Cresta to imitate games of the past and evoke nostalgia; it is something more. We wanted to make a vertical-scrolling shooter combined with our drive to introduce unique concepts into every game we make.”