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So, what's left to remaster?
Has there ever been a time when the word "remastered" was so prolific in the conversation, outside of the George Lucas household? Gaming was so incessantly nostalgic in 2014, you'd think it was closing after ten years. In just the last year we've seen polished-up re-releases for Saints Row 4, Resident Evil, The Last of Us, Grand Theft Auto 5, Halo 1-4, Fable, Diablo 3, Kingdom Hearts 2, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, Indigo Prophecy, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2, and many, many more. And don't forget, glossy PS4 and Xbox One encores for Dark Souls 2, Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel are on their way in the next few months. Whether you like it or not - and I'm aware plenty do and plenty don't - gaming is still knee-deep in Remaster country. With the saying "When in Rome HD" in mind, I asked some of the Joystiq staff to tell me what games they'd most like to see remastered, however unlikely those remasters may be. Sure enough, most of them delved into the realm of pure fantasy.
VC Tuesday: Let's try this again
So, the games that were going to come out last week? They're coming out this week. Last week? Nothing. Either Nintendo changed the date on their VC website, or we just made a mistake, but we can assure you now that the following games are, uh, supposed to come out today. These are still noteworthy releases. We find a top-down samurai action game from Nintendo fairly special, at least. The surprise release of Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels gives us a bit of hope for a US release of this (geographical) rarity. As for the Bubble Bobble sequel, our feelings are and will remain as follows: yay! Nazo no Murasame-jou (Famicom Disc System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Lord Monarch (Mega Drive, 1 player, 700 Wii Points) Parasol Stars (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: The Mysterious Nintendo Game
Today's Japanese VC lineup isn't as vast as last week's, but it's loaded with excellence nonetheless. The highlight of today's releases is doubtless Nazo no Murasame-jou, a Japan-exclusive game from Nintendo's famed EAD division, which appeared on the Famicom Disc System in 1986. It's like Zelda if Zelda had been set in Japan. And it was an action game. So maybe a better description is "like Dragon Power, but not as terrible."The other standout: Parasol Stars, the PC Engine sequel to Rainbow Islands, itself the sequel to Bubble Bobble. Instead of bubbles or rainbows, you have a taco parasol that can be used to catch droplets and fling them at enemies.Lord Monarch is a strategy game, part of Nihon Falcom's Dragon Slayer series, in which medieval kingdoms battle to destroy all of the other side's camps. It was remade on the PC as Lord Monarch Online and released for free. It even seems to be in English! Nazo no Murasame-jou (Famicom Disc System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Lord Monarch (Mega Drive, 1 player, 700 Wii Points) Parasol Stars (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
