Retro Gaming is back!
To me, two things are fascinating about my gaming habits for 2021. First, I spent more time playing Xbox than I did with PlayStation games, which is a testament to Game Pass’s great past year. Second, I have almost always had the most fun with older games. Retro games, if necessary – and we will. Releasing games from the 1980s, 1990s, and some from the 21st century have been given new leases on life in the present.
Let’s begin at the beginning: January 2021. As a child, Turrican 1990 and its 1991 sequel, Turrican II The Final Fight, were some of my favourite games on the Commodore Amiga. Although these challenging run-and gunners could be ported to other computers, handhelds, and home consoles, it is the Amiga that they are most often associated with. It was an exciting experience to revisit them in January’s Turrican collection for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and other platforms. This includes the Mega Drive’s Mega Turrican and the Super Nintendo’s Super Turrican. Although it isn’t the complete Turrican, anyone who enjoys the Super Metroid and Gunstar Heroes will be delighted to have this collection.
In January, I also bought SEGA’s incredible Astro City Mini console. It was imported from Japan. Then it went and got some official UK distribution. Standard. It’s an excellent way to revisit old SEGA arcade games like Virtua Fighter or Space Harrier. You might even get to play some for the first time. You can purchase control pads and sticks separately to connect the mini-cab to your TV. There are 37 games total. They’re working on a second one, Mini V…RIP my wallet.
Two well-known names released two very different compilations in gaming in February. The Blizzard Collection gathered three games from pre-Warcraft times of Blizzard. None of them was direct from arcades. Rock and Roll Racing and The Lost Vikings retain much of their charm. Blackthorne, on the other hand, never had much to start with.
