2018 was a great year for retro gaming. We look back at old-school highlights.<\/b>
\n2018 was a big year for giant modern games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War. But it was also a great year for fans of the classics.
Last year, I celebrated 2017\u2019s best game releases and moments that highlighted the industry\u2019s more old-school side. Now it\u2019s time to give that same treatment to 2018, which was just as exciting and fun a year for retro gaming fans.
After Crash Bandicoot got the remake treatment in 2017, it was Spyro\u2019s turn this year. And just like how Crash N. Sane Trilogy made three classic PlayStation platforms as pretty as any modern game, Reignited Trilogy took Spyro\u2019s firth three adventures and turned them into some of the most beautiful kid-friendly games I\u2019ve ever seen.
Aside from the new graphics, all three Spyros hold up as great 3D platformers. I only dabbled in them when they debuted during the original PlayStation era, so I\u2019m thankful this collection gave me a chance to fully appreciate this franchise.
Curse of the Moon is just a Kickstarter stretch goal for another game, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. But it\u2019s the greatest stretch goal ever. While Ritual of the Night takes inspiration from Castlevania\u2019s nonlinear 2D entries (aka the Metroidvanias), Curse of the Moon is an homage to earlier entries in the Castlevania series, specifically Castlevania III: Dracula\u2019s Curse.
It has some of the best pixel art I\u2019ve seen in a modern retro (enjoy that oxymoron) game, and Curse of the Moon manages to capture the spirit and feel of those classic, linear Castlevania adventures. I\u2019m not sure if Ritual of the Night can match its quality.
Digital Eclipse has done fantastic work porting classic games to modern systems. Just look at its efforts on Mega Man Legacy Collection and The Disney Afternoon Collection. SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is another successful package of classics.
While many think of \u201990s fighting games like Fatal Fury and arcade titles like Metal Slug when they hear SNK, this collection celebrates the company\u2019s older titles (mostly from the \u201980s). It\u2019s a fantastic opportunity to play the history of one of gaming\u2019s greatest arcade developers.
Poor PlayStation Classic. I seem to be the only person who has anything nice to say about this retro console. Sure, it doesn\u2019t have a library as good as what we\u2019ve seen from Nintendo\u2019s mini-console offerings. And it sucks that some of the included games run off of the European PAL versions, meaning they run slower than they should.
But I still have fun with the machine. Maybe it\u2019s because I got a chance to experience games I never thought much of before, like Ridge Racer Type 4. Maybe it\u2019s because of the overwhelming flood of nostalgia that hit me when I booted up Battle Arena Toshinden for the first time since 1995. Whatever the reason, I can\u2019t bring myself to hate the PlayStation Classic.
Mega Man 11 was on this list last year, just because I was so excited about its announcement. Well, we got to actually play the game in 2018, and it was awesome.
Although it has fancier, more modern graphics, Mega Man 11 is a retro game at heart. It has the same precise jumping and shooting that made the classic Mega Man games so fantastic, and its arsenal of weapons and bosses are some of the most memorable we\u2019ve ever seen from the series. It\u2019s a fantastic blend of old and new, and Mega Man 11 stands out as my favorite retro experience of 2018.
The RetroBeat is a weekly column that looks at gaming\u2019s past, diving into classics, new retro titles, or looking at how old favorites \u2014 and their design techniques \u2014 inspire today\u2019s market and experiences. If you have any retro-themed projects or scoops you\u2019d like to send my way, please contact me.<\/p>\n