ZTGD

I am not a naysayer of ports or remasters. I like giving gamers an opportunity to play the best games of last generation on their new hardware, but I want it done right. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1 and 2 feels very much like a quick port job. I do feel good that Marvel has come out to address the larger issues, and players are getting that content, but the price is still too high a barrier for the state these games were released in.

I appreciate where the thought for this game comes from. The world of JRPGs has moved on so much since that genre defining era. We often look back with rose tinted glasses and say “They just don’t make them like that anymore”, and there is definitely worth in looking backwards, but moving forwards. Maybe they were just of their time, and what makes them truly great are the memories we have of them.

Hyper Light Drifter is a sensory overload from a visual and audio standpoint. Add in the sublime gameplay, and even with its high difficulty and lack of direction at times and players are still left with a very satisfying game. No matter how many times I got lost or how long it took to progress forward, I always found myself enjoying my time in Hyper Light Drifter’s world.

What I was hoping for when I booted up Shiren the Wanderer was another anomaly – a title in the roguelike genre that I would enjoy, and that wasn’t what I found. Instead, what I got was a fairly standard entry in the genre- crafted well by a developer that’s been making these kinds of games for years, and even though I did not find the title to my tastes, I could easily see why someone else might.

It feels simplistic in nature and it actually really is, then you look into the Grid system and see all the potential Under Night actually has and you have yourself a pretty great fighting game. Keep in mind, you may need to go to an outside source to figure everything out, but for the most part, this is a great fighting game that I think fighting game fans will really enjoy for a cheap price.

Riptide GP Renegade is a solid follow-up. I really wish they would tweak the difficulty though, as it stands it gets far too difficult, far too quickly in career mode. This stunts progression, and makes continuing on a real grind. However, if you are like me and simply love the wave racing genre, this is yet another solid entry in a category we get far too few games in.

I really wish there was more to say about Blade Arcus. The art design is outstanding, and the fighting is solid, but it really just doesn’t do anything to stand out from the pack. The lack of features and paltry online community mean this game is likely already forgotten about. Being only on PC also doesn’t help matters, as it is hardly known as the platform of the fighting game community.

Zombie Night Terror could have easily been another tired repetition of a pretty played out tune, so credit is due to NoClip for creating a genuinely fresh game that has an energetic feel to it. The art direction astutely compliments the gameplay and the self-referential, retro-infused style of Zombie Night Terror. It is a title that feels a lot like a postmodern love letter to games of a bygone era.

While the name may be confusing, this could easily be a blueprint for the successor to Ghosts ‘n Goblins, which is what it seems they set out to do, and they nailed it. If you are like me and grew up pulling your hair out at these punishing side-scrollers, this game is an easy purchase. It captures the magic, while bringing enough of its own charm to make it feel fresh.

It’s a shame that online co-op wasn’t included, but if players ever needed an excuse to get their friends to actually come over and play something, this wouldn’t be a bad weekend recommendation. What we have is a game that takes inspiration from a classic genre years, before and while doing nothing very original with the idea, still provides a good time.