There seems to be two groups - people mention console games and not liking the retro titles, and PC games where people are a lot more happier to play the older classics. I would say it's a mentality thing. When console gamers were playing Mario style platforms and racing and fighting games, PC gamers were playing text based and graphic based adventure games, management games like Simcity, hex based wargames, deep roleplaying games along with intelligent shooters like System Shock and more basic shooters like Doom.
This means PC gamers from the early on were getting access to many styles, some that required the best graphics (Wing Commander, and those that were okay with simpler graphics, like the Sierra Quest series, for example, or 2D Hex based wargames.
This means it's easier for PC gamers to go back and play these retro games. Hence the huge success of GOG.com.
Let me give you an example of why retro titles are so important:
Microprose, in 1994, came out with an RPG called "Darklands". This RPG had a story about the "Wild Hunt" as used in The Witcher 1 and 2. Darklands also had another side story of Dragons taking to the skies as a portent of Armageddon - just like the main quest of Skyrim!
There is a connection between the retro titles of the 90's and the modern games of the 00's+, we forget this at our peril!