History Main / RetroUpgrade

* In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun'', GDI forces had no answer to NOD artillery until the Juggernaut was developed. The Juggernaut was essentially 3 old naval guns that were mounted on a mecha walker frame to make it mobile. The Juggernaut is so useful that it was retained when other GDI mechs had been scrapped in later games.
* For ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'', GDI found their mechs were vulnerable to sabotage from elite enemy infantry so they reverted back to tanks which were previously obsolete. Instead of merely digging up museum pieces, the next-generation Predator tank was improved with a larger cannon than previous tanks and the new Mammoth tank had two sets of tracks to help carry a better missile rack and more armour. Both tanks could later be modified to get rail guns for more firepower.

** [[HollywoodSilencer Most silencers rarely manage to completely eliminate the sound of a gunshot]]. Up until the development of specialized silenced firearms and ammunition, the only feasible alternative for silent killing at long range was a crossbow.

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[[AC: Anime and Manga]]

[[AC: Comic Book]]

[[AC: Literature]]

[[AC: Live Action Television]]

[[AC: Western Animation]]

[[AC: Real Life]]

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Doug Ramsey aka Cipher has the ability to comprehend any and all languages. Suffice to say, he wasn't much use in a fight. But here's the thing: he was created in the 80's, before the digital revolution. And any language was shown to extend to ''computer code''. Naturally, when he was resurrected, this, combined with his understanding of ''body'' [[AwesomenessByAnalysis language]] quickly elevated his usefulness.

%%* In ''Manhwa/{{Veritas}}'', after spending long periods training to purify his {{Ki}} flow, Gangryong discovers that he gets much better results if he deliberately clogs the flow until it bursts and washes out his system. Overlaps with DangerousForbiddenTechnique, since timing it wrong could kill him.

* In the second half of ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', the Gunmen are dropped in favor of the new Guparls. It turns out that the Gunmen are still more useful against anti-spirals because they were designed specifically to fight them.

* In Michael R. Hicks' ''In Her Name'' series, the aliens attacking humanity are very close to, if not quite actually SufficientlyAdvancedAliens. However, their goal is to test humanity rather than wipe them out immediately, and they view one-on-one hand-to-hand as the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy only honorable form of combat]]. They, therefore, take steps to prevent modern (in-universe, meaning futuristic from our point of view) weapons, and especially computer-controlled ones such as missiles, from working. Fighting mostly involves tanks and basic projectile weapons, while space combat frequently results in boarding actions which had been previously unheard of.

* As future humans of the [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Dark Age of Technology]] encountered aliens with heavy armour who were quick enough to close in for melee, there was a need for weapons that can cut through armour up close. Thus a [[ChainsawGood sword that had been souped up with a powerful motor and mono-molecular teeth]] was developed. Also, unless you're a TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 caveman, most combat knives use a [[AbsurdlySharpBlade mono-molecular blade]].

* In Michael R. Hicks' ''Literature/InHerName'' series, the aliens attacking humanity are very close to, if not quite actually SufficientlyAdvancedAliens. However, their goal is to test humanity rather than wipe them out immediately, and they view one-on-one hand-to-hand as the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy only honorable form of combat]]. They, therefore, take steps to prevent modern (in-universe, meaning futuristic from our point of view) weapons, and especially computer-controlled ones such as missiles, from working. Fighting mostly involves tanks and basic projectile weapons, while space combat frequently results in boarding actions which had been previously unheard of.

* As future humans of the [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Dark Age of Technology]] encountered aliens with heavy armour who were quick enough to close in for melee, there was a need for weapons that can cut through armour up close. Thus a [[ChainsawGood sword that had been souped up with a powerful motor and mono-molecular teeth]] was developed. Also unless you're a WH40K caveman, most combat knives use a [[AbsurdlySharp mono-molecular blade]].

* In ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', for Season 6 Curtis had to take on the Green Arrow mantle. Unfortunately he's a mediocre archer, so the team took a crossbow design and created a new rapid-fire loading system for it. As an expert gunman, he transitions easily to the crossbow and its innovative rapid-fire lets him go up against guys with submachine guns.

* As future humans of the [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Dark Age of Technology]] encountered aliens with heavy armour who were quick enough to close in for melee, there was a need for weapons that can cut through armour up close. Thus a [[ChainsawGood sword that had been souped up with a powerful motor and mono-molecular teeth]] was developed.

* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' have made the humble bow and kunai knife relevant to modern times by turning them into explosive weapons. The bow can be outfitted with arrows tipped with tank shells while the kunai becomes the Incendiary Shuriken by having an incendiary grenade for a handle.

* Normally the artificially intelligent UCS of ''VideoGame/Earth2150'' are the HigherTechSpecies to the human factions as of Earth 2160 (they've overtaken the previous hi-tech faction of the LC), however for their basic infantry they have them outfitted with [[ArmCannon built-in]] [[GatlingGood gatling guns]]. Even the in-game description notes that these machine guns are obsolete compared to the humans' energy rifles, so the UCS have them equipped with depleted uranium ammo. But even with this, those gatling guns are still kinda puny. Luckily the UCS troops are all [[MadeOfIron battle]] [[RobotSoldier robots]] and they can increase their survival rate by sheltering in the faction-specific bunker.

* Normally the artificially intelligent UCS of ''VideoGame/Earth2150'' are the HigherTechSpecies to the human factions as of Earth 2160 (they've overtaken the previous hi-tech faction of the LC), however for their infantry they have them outfitted with [[ArmCannon built-in]] [[GatlingGood gatling guns]]. Even the in-game description notes that these machine guns are obsolete compared to the humans' energy rifles, so the UCS have them equipped with depleted uranium ammo. But even with this, those gatling guns are still kinda puny. Luckily the UCS troops are all [[MadeOfIron battle]] [[RobotSoldier robots]] and they can increase their survival rate by sheltering in the faction-specific bunker.

* For ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'', GDI found their mechs were vulnerable to sabotage from elite enemy infantry so they reverted back to tanks. Instead of merely digging up museum pieces, the next-generation Predator tank was improved with a larger cannon than previous tanks and the new Mammoth tank had two sets of tracks to help carry a better missile rack and more armour. Both tanks could later be modified to get rail guns for more firepower.

* As [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 future humanity]] encountered aliens with heavy armour who were quick enough to close in for melee, there was a need for weapons that can cut through armour up close. Thus a [[ChainsawGood sword that had been souped up with a powerful motor and mono-molecular teeth]] was developed.

* The obligatory {{BFG}} weapon in ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' is the "SBC Cannon", a man-portable cannon which fires depleted uranium cannonballs. Also in Sam's arsenal are Colt Single Action Army {{revolvers|AreJustBetter}} fitted with "[[BottomlessMagazine techno-magical ammunition replenishers]]" and a Tommy Gun retrofitted to fire 5.56 rounds.

* In the PC turn-based tactical game ''Spellcross'', flamethrowers had long been obsolete on the battle-field. But when the bullet-resistant undead started appearing, the idea of using "flamethrowers" was mulled. But to avoid getting too close, these "flamethrowers" weren't the WW2-Vietnam spray guns instead they were incendiary bomb launchers and some were even mounted on specialized infantry fighting vehicles for extra protection.

* In ''Manhwa/{{Veritas}}'', after spending long periods training to purify his {{Ki}} flow, Gangryong discovers that he gets much better results if he deliberately clogs the flow until it bursts and washes out his system. Overlaps with DangerousForbiddenTechnique, since timing it wrong could kill him.

* ''WesternAnimation/SgtSavageAndHisScreamingEagles'': This ''Franchise/GIJoe'' toy line had as its selling point (among other things) the usage of reactivated and upgraded WorldWarII vehicles by the titular team (two of the most important ones were a P-40 Warhawk piloted by the titular SuperSoldier that had VTOL capabilities and autopilot (and a minigun that wouldn't be out of place in a Warthog anti-tank plane) and the "Blitz" tank, a Sherman upgraded with a plasma cannon as a main gun).

* Sub-Machine guns in police work. While most militaries have replaced [=SMGs=] with carbine length high penetration assault riffles, many police have found their old sub guns to be much better for the job they are tasked with. This is primarily because pistol caliber rounds have lower penetration and its easier to make an even lower penetration round for indoor use from them (substantially reducing the risk of civilian casualties). Pistol rounds are also cheaper, especially in countries where civilian handgun ownership is legal, and solves the logistical problem of having to order multiple calibers of bullets.

*** Infantry are probably the most extreme example. As guns became stronger and more accurate troops went from fully armored (if they could afford it) to virtually unarmored, until even officers were wearing nothing more than a basic jacket and trousers, because it was all useless. Over time, developments like kevlar, ceramic plates, and ballistic shields have gradually turned the tide, but modern sci-fi seems convinced full body armor is poised for [[PoweredArmor a comeback]].

* In ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}} '' Pikachu, despite being pretty much the official mascot for the franchise, was never very useful in-game due to its low stats. Later generations, however, included a special item called the Light Ball, which could be equipped by Pikachu (and only Pikachu) to double its attack power and potentially unlock the move Volt Tackle, thus giving it a viable role as a GlassCannon.

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', [[VibroWeapon high-frequency blades]] are widely used by cyborg soldiers due to widespread adoption of carbon nanotube-based armor, which is very effective against bullets, but can be sliced through by HF blades.
** This is further extended with Sam's Muramasa: since it's a high-frequency blade made out of an expertly crafted [[KatanasAreJustBetter 16th-century katana]] instead of a mass-manufactured modern day blade, it's by far the most effective weapon of its type.
* The obligatory {{BFG}} weapon in ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' is the "SBC Cannon", a man-portable cannon which fires depleted uranium cannonballs. Also in Sam's arsenal is a Tommy Gun retrofitted to fire 5.56 rounds.

* This is the basic story behind the ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament2004'' modification ''VideoGame/BallisticWeapons'', where humanity got into a war with an alien race whose DeflectorShields repelled all of their futuristic energy weapons. In desperation humanity then took out their old bullet-firing weapons, and found out the aliens' shields did nothing to stop [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter regular old bullets]]. Most of the weapons actually playable in the mod are futuristic upgrades of old 20th- to 21st-century weapons.

** By end of World War I, military aircraft had evolved from unstable civilian designs to highly agile killing machines. The advent of the turbojet engine during World War II and further research in aerodynamics (much of it acquired from German scientists after the war) allowed aircraft to exceed the speed of sound without suffering from stability issues. However, starting in the 1970's, military aircraft were purposefully designed to be aerodynamically unstable. This, of course, reduced their maximum speed and flight ceiling but ended up improving their overall maneuverability and flight characteristics, especially at low-to-mid altitudes where most missions take place. The disadvantages of an inherently unstable craft (namely, controlling it) have largely been mitigated by fly-by-wire control systems.

** When tanks first appeared in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, they were lightly armored and mainly fired high-explosive munitions for infantry support. By the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, they had become well-armoured machines with guns that could fire high-velocity shots to pierce increasingly heavy armor. However, the development of increasingly effective shaped-charge warheads during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar led to a belief that no amount of protection could be assured against such weapons. German and French tank designers responded by reducing armor to increase mobility and focused mainly on having their tanks' guns fire high explosive anti-tank rounds at long ranges. However, all of these changes were reversed by the development of composite armor and ERA (explosive reactive armor) blocks, as well as smoothbore guns firing kinetic energy penetrators with extremely high velocities, thus returning to the paradigm of a heavily armored tank with a high-velocity gun.
** There's an interesting example with submarines, as well. Nuke subs are unparalleled in their ability to roam the open ocean for months at a time with little to no support. For most of the mid-late 20th Century, they also performed much better in terms of submerged speed and other factors. However, beginning with the Soviet Kilo class in the 1980s, diesel-electric technology started catching up in performance, if not loitering time. While their batteries limit the amount of time they can spend underwater, diesel-electric subs are now significantly *quieter* than nuke subs.

** Some rifles (e.g. [=M14=], FN FAL) considered obsolete due to their larger calibers being superseded by 5.56mm rounds have gotten a second lease on life as a sniper or designated marksman rifles.

*** Diesel engines also need next to zero modification for conversion into burning biodiesel, a fuel with almost zero carbon footprint. In fact, Rudolf Diesel's first few engines were built to burn cooking oil, the precursor of modern biodiesel, as their fuel. Biodiesels are also fairly cheap as they can be made from kitchen and slaughterhouse waste, lowering the demand for city landfill capacity. Some cities—Shanghai, for example—have their entire bus fleet converted into running on biodiesel and new buses are biodiesel/electric hybrids. Also in Shangai, citizens with biodiesel compatible cars can buy biodiesel from bus companies at a much lower price than petroleum diesel, and the conversion fees—if any—are partialy covered by the city. Biodiesel generally has the same fuel mileage as petroleum, and the natural lubricating property of biodiesel reduces the wear and tear of the engine.

** Also they need a relatively smaller airfield to land, rather than miles of landing strips. They're like a third option between airplanes and helicopters.
* In the early days of the games industry a lot of them were made by individual programmers (or small teams) who self-published (by distributing cassette tapes or floppy disks with photocopied manuals). As computer hardware became more powerful, games became more complicated to make and larger teams were needed. Then UsefulNotes/DigitalDistribution happened, along with smaller devices which call for older styles of gameplay and improvements in middleware that make it easier to create compelling games without large teams, and "indie" games are back in vogue.

* For some, cars with tape decks. These were generally obsoleted by built-in CD Players, but in the interim, there were special adapters that connected to the headphone jack of a portable CD player to use the car's speakers. Then came the advent of MP3 players. At that point, you could still use the adapter with the MP3 player in the same manner, but it had no way of interfacing with a CD player. Because of that, the obsolete tape deck would actually be the preferred method of interfacing with your car's entertainment system.

* Most home video game consoles stopped using cartridges in the mid-nineties in favor of [=CD=]s (although they stayed more popular in the hand-held market, as spinning optical media wasn't as compact and uses more power). The sole holdout, Creator/{{Nintendo}}, proceed to demonstrate why the others had moved on as cartridges' advantages such as faster load times and no need for separate memory cards were vastly outstripped by how much data CD Roms could hold and at a much cheaper manufacturing price. Since then, games have gotten larger and now take a significant time to read from the disk, while cartridges have become smaller and cheaper with the advent of flash memory. Nintendo, after three generations of disk-based systems is switching back to cartridges for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.