This Year in Retro 2023
Hello all and welcome to... This Year in Retro? Nepiki, what's up?
Well, I wanted to change it up a bit from our regular monthly articles. Don't worry, we will be resuming the regular schedule soon enough. But I wanted to try out something new, and that is to look at what 2023 offered in terms of re-release, remakes, and remasters, and link them back to what we have for them on RetroAchievements. I will also include a few continuations of old franchises here and there just to spice it up. Just a nice article to see how their legacy still lives on in the current age!
Unlike our regular schedule however, I'm not going to talk about the individual achievement set of each release, as I would be sitting here for the coming months writing about that. I'll mostly just talk shortly about the games themselves, the reputation they had, and the reputation they have now. But obviously, I will let it be known if a game does- or doesn't have an achievement set since we are still talking about RetroAchievements. Of course as usual, do keep in mind that I may miss a game here and there. Documentation in 2023 is much better than the years I usually talk about, but it's my no means perfect; especially with how many games get released nowadays. I'm also not really going to focus too much on Evercade and massive compilations because I don't want to be here all day. But instead of babbling on, let's get to it with the first month!
Atlus fans were eating good this year in terms of re-releasing some of their older games. Would say it's about time too because if you are a bit familiar with the retro gaming market, you know that their older releases are often the holy grail of many collections. Case in point, Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden. I've actually tried getting the former for a long while as I've been trying to get a complete PSP collection but uh, yeah, no luck at all. They are now fortunately available on all modern platforms, and Persona 3 specifically is even getting a remake slated for a February 2024 release!
Microsoft was yet again strengthening their bond with Nintendo, and allowed both them and theirselves with a re-release of the cult classic Goldeneye 007. This is one of the most beloved multiplayer games from the Nintendo 64, and Nintendo was able to cash in on that and has enabled online multiplayer for the Switch re-release. The Xbox version went a bit beyond by remastering the game for 4K displays... but without multiplayer, so that's a bummer.
The Wonder Boy/Monster Land series is one of my more beloved underappreciated series, so seeing them get a modern collection will always make me happy. They actually got a collection in 2022 with Wonder Boy, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, Wonder Boy in Monster World and Monster World IV, but this new anniversary collection also adds Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair and Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, as well as alternate versions to each such as releases on the SG-1000! These collections are only available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4/5.
Finally, there was one remake this month for The House of the Dead. This light gun shooter arcade game was very popular during its initial release in 1996 for both the Arcade, the Sega Saturn, and PC, being commonly cited as one of the more influential games when it comes to re-popularizing zombies together with Resident Evil. The remake was initially developed for the Nintendo Switch and took advantage of the gyro controls, while ports to Xbox, PlayStation, and PC all had their own gimmicks to emulate the light gun gameplay. The remake got generally mixed reviews on the Switch due to gyro controls not feeling like a good alternative to a light gun, but fans overall liked the remake and appreciated the touched-up graphics.
PlayStation Plus Premium would see digital re-releases of Syphon Filter 3, Star Wars Demolition, and Hot Shots Golf 2, all coming from the PlayStation 1.
* Set is in development
February did really well in the remake and remaster department, though we do not currently support any of the systems they originate from so I'm quickly mentioning them before moving on. The three games in question are Metroid Prime Remastered, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, and of course the one and only Like A Dragon: Ishin. There was also Tales of Symphonia: Remastered, but in classic Bandai Namco fashion, I think I'll just forget that happened.
Also in a very interesting twist, Ikki of all series got revived! ...With a Vampire Survivors clone! I wasn't expecting to say that today but yeah, for everyone who wants to see more of Ikki, there's now Ikki Unite for PC to check out. And while we are talking about unexpected revivals, out of nowhere Zero Wing was re-released on PC with all-new features and quality of life improvements. I also wasn't expecting to say that today!
On the collection side, we received Puzzle Bobble 2X / Bust-A-Move 2 Arcade Edition & Puzzle Bobble 3 / Bust-A-Move 3 S-Tribute. One day they will decide on a single name to use, but that day is not today. But as you might expect, this collection contains the arcade versions of both games as well as the home console releases, complete with the general emulation improvements we would see with these collections. It's available on all modern platforms so if you want more puzzling, this is the collection for you!
Most of what defined this month was actually that Nintendo finally added support for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance titles to their monthly subscription. Slowly but surely that subscription is getting more worth it, especially with all the games being available at any time. A total of 15 games were added to the service, with some of the higlights being The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, and my highly beloved Wario Land 3 for the Game Boy/Color, and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap for the Game Boy Advance.
PlayStation Plus Premium would see digital re-releases of The Legend of Dragoon, Wild Arms 2, and Harvest Moon: Back to Nature, all coming from the PlayStation 1.
This month took it a bit quieter on the retro releases, but we still have two titles that our userbase will surely love a lot. The first one is the obvious remake of Resident Evil 4. It followed up on the previous remakes for the second and third game, which all were extremely successful remakes of the source material. For Resident Evil 4, it's no different, with it being nominated for multiple awards including Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick and The Game Awards. It scored 9s and 10s everywhere, making this a game fans of the original absolutely must check out.
The other, perhaps less obvious, is the first official localized release of The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure. The Crossbell series were unfortunately skipped over by both XSEED and NIS America for the longest of times, until fans took it upon themselves and made fan localizations that were up to par, if not surpassing what the official publishers would bring us as they would also include a bunch of quality of life features. These fan localizations were so good in fact, that NIS America collaborated with the team and used the localization as the base for the official re-releases for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, and PC. The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Zero was released last year, and now fans finally have access to what is, in my opinion, one of the best RPGs ever made.
The Nintendo Switch Online service would see a variety of games for different consoles, such as Xevious for the NES and Side Pocket for the SNES, as well as bringing some more games to the newly-supported systems with BurgerTime Deluxe and Kirby's Dream Land 2 for the Game Boy, and the best release of this line-up, Metroid Fusion for the Game Boy Advance.
Meanwhile Sony finally realised that they had more than just the PlayStation 1 to pick games from, and would re-release Ridge Racer Type 4 from the PlayStation 1, Ape Escape 2 from the PlayStation 2, and finally Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror from the PlayStation Portable.
The revival of this month goes to the Magical Drop series with the release of Magical Drop VI. Not that the series was really that dead but hey, it's always nice to see a new entry in a beloved franchise that has been around for a really long while! It unfortunately looks to have gone a bit under the radar for many people, but re-assuredly it looks to be a solid entry in the series.
But yeah, if you want yet another very interesting twist of a game release I totally didn't see coming... Shepherd's Crossing got remastered. Yep, that Shepherd's Crossing, the franchise occasionally associated with the Harvest Moon series that released in a low quantity, making them extremely rare. Despite being compared to Harvest Moon often, what makes this series different is that it focuses more on the trading, hunting, and managing your farm side of the simulation aspect. Unfortunately this remaster also went heavily under the radar, not even having a single review on Metacritic. So yeah, if you are a fan of this franchise, be sure to check it out on Nintendo Switch and PC!
The other remaster of this month is GrimGrimoire OnceMore, another game originating on the PlayStation 2. Made by the beloved Vanillaware, this 2D real-time strategy game was made by a desire to have their own version of the famous game StarCraft. It was their first release actually, just before Odin Sphere. It generally was well-received by critics for having a unique implementation of the RTS genre on console, but ended up becoming a commercial failure. The remaster, which includes better graphics, additional content, and changes to the difficulty fortunately did a lot better thanks to heavy advertising done by NIS America. This version is available on PlayStation 4/5 and Nintendo Switch.
As for collections, we did get console ports of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters but I'm not really going to talk about that with it already being available prior. Instead, let's talk about the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collections! This beloved sub-series starting on the Game Boy Advance has finally been re-released to all modern systems, with all 6 mainline games and their alternative versions being available. And of course, in classic Legacy Collection fashion, there are a bunch of extras to enjoy, such as emulation features to make the games play even better, a 3D Megaman.EXE leading you through the menus with artwork and the soundtrack, and even online functionality to battle other people! It's great to see the series back into action again, with almost all Mega Man games being readily available now for everyone.
Nintendo Switch Online gained Pokémon Stadium this month as free game, but most other releases involved Sega games. Flicky, Kid Chameleon, PulseMan, and the Mega Drive version of Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition all released this month on the service. Sony also had a strong month, but it's basically just all Doom games. It's literally a meme that Doom is available everywhere so I'm not going to cover that now.
* Set is in development
Not a lot to talk about this month (at least, on the retro side), but it did have the System Shock remaster finally coming out! We don't support PC yet on RetroAchievements so we cannot experience this yet in any form but hey, it's a pretty significant game from the 90s so of course I couldn't miss out on at least mentioning it!
The only remake this month is the remake of Dokapon Kingdom, which originated on the PlayStation 2, then got a port to the Nintendo Wii, and is now available both on Nintendo Switch and PC. Although calling it a remake is probably giving it a bit too much credit, as it mostly polished up the visuals but now also has online connectivity. For the unaware, Dokapon Kingdom is what you would get if you threw together a board party game (such as Mario Party) with RPG gameplay that has a lot of RNG. If your friendship has survived that franchise, maybe accept this challenge to see if it can truly last!
Nintendo this month realized that it triggered me heavily that they released Super Mario Bros. 3: Super Mario Advance 4 on their online service but not the three games prior, so they fixed that this month. Thank you Nintendo, you have redeemed yourself. And if that wasn't enough, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is now also available on there! Sony would also see some neat hidden gems... and seeing Syphon Filter for the third time this year. They really love promoting that series huh. All three games came from the PlayStation Portable this time around, with Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow, Blade Dancer Lineage of Light_, and Pursuit Force all getting released for premium members of the subscription!
Now June on the other hand, that was a month filled with retro goodness. The month started off with a remaster of the second game in the Katamari series, We Love Katamari Reroll+ Royal Reverie, bringing it to all modern platforms. This remaster mostly updates the graphics and adds quality of life improvements, but there is also the addition of the titular Royal Reverie, where the player controls the young King of the Cosmos in some additional challenges. The Front Mission 1st: Remake would also leave the Nintendo Switch jail this month to be released everywhere else.
This month was mostly dominated by collections. There were the smaller ones, like Beat 'Em Up Archives: QUByte Classics that has both Legend and Iron Commando from the SNES, as well as Ray'z Arcade Chronology that has RayForce, RayStorm, and RayCrisis alongside remasters of the latter two. But then, there were the other two: Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection and Sonic Origins Plus.
When I said Atlus fans were eating good, I truly meant it. For the first time in ever, the very first three Etrian Odyssey games were not just re-released, but also remastered. Since they were originally Nintendo DS games, they took the opportunity to overhaul the graphics and include a ton of quality of life improvements that take advantage of modern hardware. Depending on where it's played, you also still have access to touchscreen functionality or mouse support to keep the map drawing in place. Just uh, in classic Atlus fashion, they decide to overprice it like all tomorrow. Can never have good things with this company I swear. With Sonic Origins Plus it's a bit easier as it's just... the twelve Game Gear games. That's it.
Meanwhile, Nintendo (and Sega) was also not holding back. The NES would see Mystery Tower, while the Game Boy Color received Blaster Master: Enemy Below and Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble (with gyroscope functionality!), and the Game Boy Advance got Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade. Good list all around, but then I read that Japan also got Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade and now that's kinda mean. But yeah, they were only half of the line-up this month, as Sega re-released some absolute bangers. I mean, Crusader of Centy is one of them, they automatically won this month for me. But Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Landstalker, and The Revenge of Shinobi were definitely good highlights as well. Nintendo Switch Online users were eating great this month! So what did Sony do for their subscription? They uh, they tried. Two PlayStation 1 titles with Worms and Herc's Adventure, and Killzone: Liberation from the PlayStation portable. It's alright.
* Set is in development
The Double Dragon series would see a return this month with a new game called Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, focusing on the origins of our favourite beat 'em up brothers. It was the first title in a very long while that was actually received well, so maybe there is a future for the franchise after all!
This month would also see a remake of the very first game in the Atelier series, Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg. This remake would mark the first time ever that it would be localized in the west, with all previous ports to various systems remaining Japanese only--although the PlayStation 2 version does have a fan-made translation. This high-definition remake preserves that basic gameplay structure and the time limit the (early) series is known for, while also featuring multiple other changes to make it more modern, like enemies being on the map rather than as a random encounter. More quests have been added, and there is an alternative mode that turns off the time limit for people who just want to enjoy their time without the pressure behind it. The remake was overall well received, now giving many players on all modern platforms except Xbox the ability to experience the origin of the series.
Aside from that, this month would see mostly ports and remasters. All of them are very welcome surprises however! Sunsoft has been doing well last year bringing their titles back to modern platforms, and one of them is Gimmick! Special Edition. This NES game was Japanese-exclusive for the most part, with a limited release in Scandinavia during the 90s as well, but is now readily available on all modern platforms with all sorts of modern enhancements including a time attack mode with online leaderboards! Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes would see a definitive edition that contains all the DLC released on the console versions of the game, as well as your usual quality of life improvements as well as a reworked online multiplayer system. Finally, Yggdra Union was in early access on Steam for a while, and saw a full release this month together with a Switch port. This one is closer to a port than a remaster, but greatly appreciated regardless!
Nintendo Switch Online would only see two games this month, but they did choose two fantastic games: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons. This would mark their first re-release since the Nintendo 3DS eShop, so definitely great to have them readily accessible now as well. Sony would also see some nice games, with the first two Twisted Metal games from the PlayStation 1 and Gravity Crash Portable from the PlayStation Portable.
* Set is in development
August is the best month of them all. Why? Because BALDUR'S GATE 3 RELEASED THIS MONTH, GAME OF THE YEAR BABEYYY!!
Anyway uh, retro stuff. We have another retro franchise revival this month with Samba de Amigo: Party Central, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. Ignoring ports, this was the first time we've seen a new game from the dancing monkey since all the way back in 1999, so a surprise revival for sure! Reviews on it were mixed due to inconsistent motion controls, but overall most people were still positive on the release.
Red Dead Redemption was "remastered" this month but uh, we don't talk about that. Instead, Quake II would also be remastered this month, receiving an enhanced edition that compiles all the expansions and multiplayer maps with the full single-player campaign on all modern platforms. They are also highly upscaled, even supporting 4K 120FPS on the latest consoles, with PC and Xbox Series X/S having additional support for 8 players. Furthermore, there's a new expansion and the Nintendo 64 version is included for free, making this a very worthwhile package to check out!
Now something I'm very much a fan of is Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles, which is a compilation Rhapsody II: Ballad of the Little Princess and Rhapsody III: Memories of Marl Kingdom. These PlayStation and PlayStation 2 RPGs have never before been localized, and NIS America blessed up this month with the both of them for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC. To my knowledge the games themselves are mostly untouched but hey, they have aged well and them being officially localized in 2023 is a blessing on its own.
Nintendo would release some more Pokémon games, namely Pokémon Trading Card Game for the Game Boy Color and Pokémon Stadium 2 for the Nintendo 64. As an additional bonus, Excitebike 64 would also be released later this month. Sony would be focusing on the PlayStation Portable again, with MediEvil: Resurrection, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice and... Ape Escape: On The Loose. I uh, think it would have made more sense to just release the original, but you do you Sony. The other two games are definitely welcome though!
* Set is in development
It finally happened gamers. After years of begging, we finally got a new F-Zero game! ...And it's a battle royale based on the SNES version! While some people were surely met with disappointment, I actually had this idea many years ago when I was thinking of games that could get the 99 treatment, so I'll take this as an absolute win for myself. Doesn't mean I've played it since my Switch has been catching dust for years but hey, it turned out pretty popular so job well done! Now give us a new game already cowards.
In the most baffling news of probably anything this issue, the first Gothic was re-released on Switch. I'm not going to talk about it much since it was a PC game, but it's Eurojank and I need to talk about my Eurojank every now and then otherwise I'll lose my sanity. Just uh... I'm so confused, but I'll definitely 100% take it. Anyway, back to retro.
Remember how I talked about The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure ealier? The same happened later this year with a spin-off title, The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails. This title would also never be officially localized until now, and it is great. This was one hell of an impressive game for the PlayStation Portable, so more people getting the chance to play this is fantastic. I even have the imported limited edition of this game! It feels in gameplay closer to Nihon Falcom's other franchise, Ys, while having the story telling of The Legend of Heroes series. It is pretty much completely stand-alone though, so no need to worry about the need to play other games for this one.
Since we're talking about RPGs, let's talk about a few more. This month also marked the release of Rune Factory 3 Special, a remaster of the Nintendo DS simulation role-playing hybrid by the same name that is now available on Nintendo Switch and PC. Aside from the usual remastering done to a game, there is a new difficulty mode as well as the Newlywed Mode, which has standalone adventures unlocked after marriage to each of the game's bachelorettes. The collection of Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster also released this month, and I hope I'm wrong but... I feel like this went completely under the radar again. I remember the hype when it was announced, but I literally heard no one talk about it at release. Even when looking it up now I barely see anything. Welp, here is your reminder!
As for Nintendo Switch Online, this time they would heavily focus on Japanese titles. First up was Kirby Star Stacker for the SNES, followed by Downtown Nekketsu March: Super-Awesome Field Day and Joy Mech Fight for the NES. None of these were translated, and fortunately that's also not necessary... but they could have put in the effort, let's be real. Oh, and there was Quest for Camelot for the Game Boy Color, perhaps the most unique release of this month's package. Now Sony on the other hand, they pulled an absolute win here by now re-releasing one, not two, but three Star Ocean games! Technically two of them should not fall under "classics" as the first- and fourth game are the remastered games on modern hardward, but Star Ocean: The Last Hope is an amazing game so I'll forgive them.
* Set is in development
Front Mission 2: Remake was announced at the same time as the first game, which came out last year and finally came out in October, currently exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. This would also mark the very first time this PlayStation game would get a western localization! The mature storyline from the original is kept intact, as well as the tactical turn-based gameplay. Despite being called a remake, it's more a remaster than anything in that regard as it mostly comes with good performance and enhanced graphics and soundtrack. The loading times were one of the most detrimental issues of the original, so to have that solves is already a win. As a remake though, it received a mixed reception from both critics- and players, though most of those seem to be about the game itself rather than what the remake brought to the table.
Apparently in the past few years, the Gargoyles IP has been resurrected with new comics and a live action reboot. Genuinely something I didn't hear about, which also applies to the Mega Drive game getting remastered for all current consoles. And aside from the general remaster upgrades, this remaster does something I'm a fan of the most: allow players to switch between the old- and new hand-drawn graphics at any time. I love it when games do that. It also went somewhat overlooked and didn't receive that many praises, but the original was never that beloved to begin with by the major audience so that was probably bound to happen.
There were two noteworthy collections to talk about this month (aside from the Visco arcade collection, which is great but really tough to find information about), with the first being A Boy and His Blob: Retro Collection. It's a fairly simple collection that has both the NES and Game Boy versions in Japanese- and English, but it's been a while since we've seen those games. With the Wii re-imagining getting re-released two years ago, all games in the franchise are now readily playable for the modern audience.
Finally, there is the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1, that comes with the very first two Metal Gear games as well as the first three Metal Gear Solid games, making them too available on all modern platforms. Just uh, in classic Konami fashion they did the absolute minimum and just ported the games with pretty much no changes, at their original resolution and lazily upscaled. Performance was also pretty bad, to the point that PC users were told how to fix the problems they had themselves rather than Konami actually fixing them. I should say I'm surprised but y'know... Just stick to RetroAchievements for these games, you'll have a better time.
On Nintendo Switch Online we got some very interesting release this month! It started off with Mario Party 3 which is always a nice bonus, but was followed by Devil World and The Mysterious Murasame Castle for NES, and finally Castlevania Legends for the Game Boy. Given that the latter game has been removed from the timeline and pretty much left forgotten by everyone, seeing it back again in 2023 is a pretty big surprise. Devil World would see its first release in North America specifically, with The Mysterious Murasame Castle being available in the west for the second time so both very welcome. Sony this month did an oopsie and decided to increase the regional pricing for the subscription in September, which gave people hope that there would now be more to compensate but... nah, not really. The games for this month were the PlayStation 3 release of Tekken 6, the PlayStation Portable releases of SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny and Ape Escape Academy, and the PlayStation release of IQ Final.
This year would see a sequel to the 90s game Flashback in Flashback 2, or rather a prequel due to its setting. It was a very popular game during the 90s, being a commercial and critical success that re-released pretty much on anything. It was remade in 2013 to mixed reception, after which nothing happened for a while until this game... that got an even more negative reception. It holds a very low score that is averaged between 30 and 40% on various platforms, making it seem like the original was a one-and-done wonder.
But putting that side, this month also had two amazing RPG remakes in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Remake for Nintendo Switch, and Star Ocean: The Second Story R for Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation systems, and PC. These games are true remakes in every sense of the word, having seen many upgrades to make them completely new experiences. Super Mario RPG for example now features additional post-game content, there's an easy mode, and the player can fast-travel from anywhere. Battles have received a new attack that is very similar to Chrono Trigger's triple techs, and party members can be switched at any time. Similarly, Star Ocean: The Second Story R features a beautiful new 2.5D aesthetic and, funnily enough, features similar upgrades to both fast-traveling as well as changes to the battle system. Both have received excellent reception from critics- and players alike, making them not just some of the best remakes this year, but some of the best releases this year period.
There was also the remaster of Turok 3: Shadows of Oblivion this month. This Nintendo 64 classic received a similar treatment as Quake II earlier this year, being enhanced in the same engine to now run at 4K resolution at 120 fps. With this release, the entire mainline trilogy is now available for everyone to check out on modern platforms!
And if that wasn't enough, there were a total of three separate series collections this month! Though the IREM Collection Vol. 1 yet again has little information to offer, which I've noticed is not really anything new with those companies like Limited Run Games and the rest. Could rant about that for a while but let's keep that for another time. Instead, we have two interesting collections, namely the Double Dragon Collection and the Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection. Both of these are very welcome collections, as they have re-releases of games that have never been ported before, like Super Double Dragon and Double Dragon Advance, as well as most of the Jurassic Park games. 6 games in the former and 7 in the latter makes it a great amount of games now available on all modern platforms.
Nintendo Switch Online didn't see any new games for the first time this year, leaving only Sony to carry the burden this month. And hey, if you ask me, they delivered. Grandia and Jet Moto from the PlayStation, and Up from the PlayStation Portable. Not too experienced with the latter but hey, the former two are great games and very welcome.
As usual for December, there isn't really too much to talk about this month. That said, we got a new Dragon Quest Monsters game which has been a few years! Released at the start of this month was Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, which is the seventh title in this spin-off series. The player takes control of Psaro, the titular half-human, half-monster prince who has been laid a curse upon him to become unable to attack monsters. But Psaro is big brained and now uses monsters to fight for him instead! With the classic monster-taming gameplay of the series, fans are sure to have a fun time with this new release.
But yeah, that's about it. Fortunately we still have Nintendo Switch Online to talk about, which would bring us three new Nintendo 64 titles: Harvest Moon 64, 1080º Snowboarding, and Jet Force Gemini. All three of them are very beloved games of the system, and will surely be appreciated by many. Sony has added both Mega Man Legacy Collection's to their line-up, as well as Thrillville, Thrillville: Off the Rails, and perhaps most surprisingly of all, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. The Thrillville series is essentially "What if Rollercoaster Tycoon but I actually get to play myself?", while Buzz Lightyear got a pretty average 3D Platformer.
This was a very exciting year for retro games in the current age. Especially RPG fans were having it good, with having 6 games released this year that have never seen official localizations. There were also a bunch of collections with games that have never been ported before, making them much more readily available to the public without needing to shove over a month's salary. Persona 3 Portable, Shepherd's Crossing, and Castlevania Legends in particular come to mind.
Nintendo has made more systems available, which I feel will also be the final systems but hey, there are more than enough games to go through still. Sony, aside from increasing the price for their premium membership even further, did re-release some interesting games that many people might not have ever heard of, like Blade Dancer - Lineage of Light. They could always do better but hey, to give credit where it's due, their line-up was not half bad.
Will next year be even better? Well, there will be the highly anticipated second part of the Final Fantasy VII remake, as well as Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. The Suikoden I and Suikoden II remasters will most likely also release this year, and I pray to god Konami will actually not pull a Konami for once. But for more, we'll have to see next year. See you then!