Tag: Microsoft

Retrogames in 2023 had quite the year

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The video game industry saw plenty of high-profile releases and announcements in 2023. Retrogames were no exception to this. Even going into 2024, I can’t shake the feeling that 2023 was one of the best years in gaming ever. From Tears of the Kingdom to Baldur’s Gate 3, there was plenty to talk including some of the remakes. Here is a not so all encompassing and a not so chronological list of the retrogame related happenings from the past year.

Two scary good horror remakes start off the year

Capcom

                Both Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 stun players by recreating their genre defining gameplay.

Persona 4 Golden widens its release and Persona 3 Reload announcement

Atlus / Sega

                Fans of the series can finally play these JRPG staples in more places and an ambitious remake for Persona 3 are announced in 2024.

Goldeneye comes to Xbox

Rare / Nintendo

                Not much else to say here, this FPS legend deserves every bit of its praise.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition also arrives for Xbox platforms

Microsoft

                This undisputed classic needs no introduction, and this particular entry is always welcome.

Metroid gets a prime remaster

Nintendo / Retro Studios

                It’s a fantastic release and a very welcome update, full of graphical enhancements and modernized controls.

Final Fantasy music and gorgeous pixels

Square Enix

                The Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters see a much needed console release and we get a wonderful collection of works from veteran video game composers in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line.  

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection

Capcom

                A much beloved series of games is rereleased for modern systems with better-than-expected sales. Mega Man Legends ports anyone?

System Shock comes back

Nightdive Studios               

This release reviewed well, the cult classic is finally given justice.

Double Dragon barely leaves a trail

Maximum Games

                Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons looks cool but is barely mentioned after its release.

Long dormant mechs rise again

FromSoftware Inc., Bandai Namco Europe S.A.S

                Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon went on to become one of the best action games of the year and Front Mission 2 Remake is released.

Sea of Stars releases

Sabotage

                Comparisons to Chrono Trigger were made and excellent art styles brought this to the forefront of many headlines this year.

Gargoyles Remastered

Disney

                Another Disney platformer sees a formal release away from the confines of history.

Metal Gear Solid Master Collection is a master of none

Konami

                These broken and wonky ports receive heavy criticism from hardcore fans and Konami promises to fix them with updates and support into 2024.           

November brings us two amazing remakes from the golden era of RPGs

Nintendo / Square Enix

                Star Ocean: The Second Story R gets new features and a well liked 2D/3D visual update. Meanwhile, Super Mario RPG is recreated from the ground up, but remains largely faithful to the late SNES release.

Fortnite brings back the original map

Epic Games               

Perhaps for pandering reasons, but still a wild success.

Square Enix has us drooling for more Final Fantasy

Square Enix

                The second installment of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy is shown in 2023 and is set for the early months of 2024.

The “half-step” console that nobody wanted

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The Sega 32X.

Before the PlayStation 4 Pro and the Xbox One X, there was an infamous add-on to the Sega Genesis. My friends and I would always joke about what a waste of money it was and the fact that it was likely a piece of junk. In an age where producing an upgraded version of a current console to sell to hungry consumers exists, Sega of the 1990s tried something bold and almost succeeded.

I was never on team blue, but in retrospect, it was either pretty cool or probably pretty disappointing arguing for blast processing. This time around, trying to be ahead of the curve proved to be disastrous for Sega.

Also, do check out more of the Gaming Historian, it’s a great channel filled with well produced mini-documentaries.

The best hardware and technical innovations from past generations

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These buttons are usually found on the top of the controller and typically have a secondary function in games. Though, in first person and third person shooters, they arguably function has the main buttons.  Over time, shoulder buttons have been further innovated upon with the creation of pressure triggers seen on the Dreamcast and a second row seen on the PlayStation home consoles.

  • Favorite usage: off-hand grenades in Halo

Mode 7 and true 3D environments

A flat, infinite and ever expanding plane probably gave the perfect illusion gamers needed for a pseudo 3D experience but, it wasn’t until CD based systems really started to take advantage of this. Two dimensions was pretty much the only aspect gamers knew and slowly, but surely that notion has reversed. Though, there are still very notable 2D based games around …

  • Favorite usages: Racing in F-Zero (SNES), navigating world maps in Square RPGs

Standard four controller ports

While this isn’t such a big thing now, but having four controller ports built into a system was an ingenious perk. Way before Nintendo implemented this on the N64, two ports were normally found on systems. Microsoft and Sega followed suite on this with their consoles, but Sony never did. Nowadays, USB ports and wireless signals are the standard for controller connections instead of a propriety connection shipped with a console.

  • Favorite usage: GoldenEye 007 multiplayer (N64)

Battery back up memory

Passwords were a great feature, but having to write them down all the time was a pain. Though passwords hung around while battery saves on the cart were being implemented, this function would later evolve into memory cards for CD based systems and hard disk drives further along into the future starting with the Xbox.

  • Favorite usage: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Dual analog joysticks

Looking back, first person shooters were awkward at first, GoldenEye being one of them! Holding down a shoulder button for precise aiming? Now that’s a thing of the past! Innovating controllers like the Dual Shock really paved the way for quicker and easier camera controls as well as a dedicated stick for looking/aiming.

  • Favorite usage: Xbox 360 controller