Our lives are technologically advanced and packed full of content and media: entire libraries of television available at the click of a button, cars that can drive themselves and smartphone Swiss army knives capable of just about any task out there. It can be difficult to think back to simpler times. To basic consoles, the first advances in 3D graphics and simple but excellent games. Difficult no more, however! Here are four recent remasterings of some of gaming’s most well-known classics, built and updated for modern hardware but with the same machinery beneath the hood. Prepare yourself for a trip down memory lane.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
One of the most beloved shooters of all time, Modern Warfare returns a decade after its original release with a remaster for PC, Xbox, and PS4. Whilst gameplay remains mostly the same, graphics are brought up to scratch with dynamic lighting to truly let those muddy boots and whizzing bullets shine. Return to the old maps, wield the old guns and bob, weave and blast your way through either the campaign mode or the ever-popular multiplayer system. Your ways of purchasing this updated game have changed too since it’s original release in 2007. Available on the desktop via the Steam app, customers can now pay for CoD: Modern Warfare via bitcoin, an online cryptocurrency popular with many for its versatile uses, from playing online bitcoin casinos that spin, bet and wager the currency in games of their own, to purchasing takeout via your own online wallet.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D
This early Nintendo masterpiece is one of a kind. Well, one of several in the Link and Zelda series. Updated for the portable 3DS console, it boasts improved controls, handling, and the same old stylish graphics. Spin, jump and puzzle-solve your way through the world of Hyrule as you don Link’s green tunic and draw his sword once again in the hopes of preventing absolute calamity. Whilst the game here is very much the same as it was in 2000, with familiar faces, locations, and challenges, it feels fresh on a modern-day console, the 3DS. The novelty of being able to play whilst out and about only adds to the allure of this timeless old favorite.
Pokémon Alpha Sapphire & Omega Ruby
The world of Pokémon is constantly evolving – no pun intended. With the additions of new creatures, locations, characters, and mechanics, fans have often had a taste for porting back such innovations into the older stories and regions. Alpha Sapphire & Omega Ruby do exactly that, returning to the Hoenn region with 3D rendered battles, impressive visuals and one of the most complete renditions of the game world yet. These games are leaps and bounds away from their originals. Fight to save the ecosystem, quell mysterious wormholes in the sky and take your place as the rightful Pokémon champion. Champion of nostalgia, that is.
Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy
Exclusive to the PS4, Crash Bandicoot spins his way back onto the scene with an HD remake of the original trilogy. Boasting three games in one, an improved save and pause system, the ability to play through levels not only as the titular fox himself but as his sister, Coco Bandicoot, and all the benefits of its high-grade home console, this is a game not to be missed. Currently the fourth best selling PlayStation game of all time, it brings back everything that you know and love about the platforming series and more.
So there we have it. Remastering takes place all the time, either directly through a publisher or by fans. Keep your eyes and ears open, and your personal favorite might just pop up any day now.
