Most college students today grew up with video games, or at least had some interaction with them, whether that means playing on your own console or your uncle’s old NES. Every now and then we want to go back to our past and get reacquainted with our childhood selves, and video games are an excellent way to do that.
Ratchet and Clank PS4 Remaster
This one may be a little newer than some of the others on this list, but my middle school weekend plans were dominated with these games. Ratchet and Clank is a PS2 action game that took combat to a ridiculous and zany level and featured hilarious dialogue. A PS3 collection was recently released and featured the first three games, and even more recently released was the PS4 remaster of the first game.
Online console stores
If you’re a console gamer it is easy to download games directly to your console. Hop on the Playstation Store and you can buy old titles like “Spyro the Dragon,” which debuted on the original Playstation or other PS2 classics. The Wii U has a store as well, which features Nintendo 64 games like my gateway drug “Donkey Kong 64.” There are even NES and SNES titles to buy.
Steam
PC gamers have an advantage on this one. If you check out the Classic or Retro tags on steam, you can find a slew of old games ripe for the taking. You can snag “Final Fantasy IX,” an old favorite of mine, or one of the earlier two-dimensional installments, like “Final Fantasy VI.” If you wait for the right moment they might go on sale.
Yooka-Laylee
It’s not quite like the original, but “Yooka-Laylee” has been reported to get back to the “Banjo-Kazooie” basics. The old Nintendo 64 title featured a bear with a bird in his backpack that walked around different levels collecting jigsaw pieces. This title is similar, but you play as a bat and a lizard. The collectibles get a facelift too, but the silly character grunts stay the same. “Yooka-Laylee” will be released in 2017.
Crash Bandicoot Remaster
This is a wonderful time to be the kind of gamer that can’t let go of the past. Many games are making their way back to the stores, like “Crash Bandicoot.” Fans have asked for a remaster of this original Playstation title after 20 years since its first release and they are getting what they want. The remaster for the first three games in this series will hit stores in 2017.
