Retro Spectives

Originally released for the PlayStation 2, Psychonauts achieved its status as a cult classic through bizarre Tim Burton-esque visuals and a novel approach to environmental story telling. Bursting at the seams with Double Fine's eccentric sense of humour, Psychonauts tells the story of Razputin, a young psychic who runs away from the circus in order to prove the worth of his oft-maligned abilities....

Before Metal Gear Solid, there was Policenauts. A buddy-cop meets science-fiction adventure about drugs, women and the vastness of space. While it was released to critical acclaim, it only truly came to the west in 2009 when a fan translation patch was released for english speaking audiences. Even since then however, Policenauts has floundered in Metal Gear’s shadow; never truly breaking into main...

Stealth games trade away much of the action in action games in order to achieve a much greater feeling of suspense. From hiding in the shadows to observing a patrolling guard, mastery is obtained through the art of patient planning. Back in 1998, Looking Glass Studios released Thief: The Dark Project , a game where you were terrible at killing but great at hiding and well, being a thief. Released...

Kirby’s Nightmare in Dreamland is a remake of the 1993 NES classic Kirby’s Adventure. It features updated graphics, a new set of minigames and an even easier difficulty than the original. You float around this idyllic platformer, stealing enemies abilities as you conquer the evil denizers of Kirby’s dream. But is it fun to play today, despite the almost complete lack of challenge? On this episode,...

Max Payne’s story was incredibly fresh on its release in 2001. Taking its cues from neo-noir cinema, it pitted you against the real life monsters of our world instead of demons or aliens. It liberally lifted environments, dialogue and ideas from the wave of crime films that popped up in the 80’s and flourished over the next 20 years. This extends even to the gameplay - clearly inspired by John Woo...

Pokémon Snap was released at the height of pokémania in 1999. It offered to people’s imaginations a way to see Pokemon in full 3d in their natural environments, instead of poorly rendered sprites on the screen. It also offered a gentler, more exploratory experience - here, ‘capturing’ a pokémon means getting a great photograph, not enslaving it to use in pit fights. Does Pokémon Snap’s on-rails an...

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater blew everyone away in 1999 with its take on skating - the environments seemed crisp, the physics were unreal and it had a wonderful trick system tying it all together. But just how good is this dinosaur of extreme sports if we play it today? Join Patrick as he soliloquises on whether Tony Hawk's has stood the test of time! On this Episode, Patrick asks: How enjoyable is it t...

Certain games defy easy description or understanding. They unite so many disparate ideas, many of which feed into one another, that explaining it in one sentence is both a simplification and completely obtuse. And this is Megaman Battle Network 3. Its a card game - but it's also an action game. Its like pokemon - except you have no overarching goal or objective at the start of the game. Its an RPG...

Quake is one of the most influential shooters ever made. While its contemporaries like Duke Nukem and Blood were dabbling in the illusion heavy 2.5D, Quake chose instead to feature fully 3D models and environments. It introduced true vertical spaces, encouraged the use of the mouse to aim and forced players to manage distance far more actively. But does its gameplay hold up all these years later,...

Silent Hill 2 holds a special place in many people’s hearts. Its held up as a poster child for both its oppressive atmosphere and the multi-layered and surreal tale it tells, of the town and the people that have been drawn to it. It tried to tell a story quite different from the conspiracy driven Resident Evil or the demon invasion of Doom 3. Is Silent Hill 2’s psychological horror as scary as eve...

Ape Escape was a defining platformer of the Playstation 1 era, notably being the very first to require a dualshock controller to play. It truly pushed the limits of that controller, incorporating the joysticks in a way no game has done since. You journey through each level, trying to capture apes and send them back to the zoo where they belong - no-one tell PETA about the game. Do the innovative c...

F-Zero GX is a Gamecube classic that sought to turn the challenge of the racing genre all the way to 11. It's a game where braking is actively discouraged, and if your speed ever drops below 1000km/h you’ve made a serious mistake. It combines this insane pace with gravity defying tracks that bend and twist in on themselves creatively. Does F Zero GX’s refined racing formulae stand up to modern day...

Red Alert 2 proposes a question that every military nut wants answered: What would happen if the Soviet Union invaded the United States of America? Except the Soviet Union has mind control technology and trained giant killer squids, while the United States relies on Albert Einstein to develop weapons of mass destruction for them. Does Red Alert 2 represent the apex of the genre, or is it just anot...

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a game that served as direct inspiration for titles like Dark Souls and Hollow Knight despite being released in 1997. Its influence can be seen not only in these games, but in the entire genre of metroidvania. Has Symphony of the Night stood the test of time or does it wallow in the shadow of those it inspired? On today’s episode, we answer this question by ex...

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within was a stark departure from its prequel in terms of aesthetic. What was originally a whimsical adventure turned into a dark and edgy romp. But it also gained a far more sophisticated combat system and tried to build on its inspired platforming mechanics. Does it succeed in bringing these elements together, or is it all edge with no substance? In today’s episode, we...

When Banjo-Kazooie came out, it bucked the trend of 3d platformers. It had no interest in really testing your platforming chops, honed from hundreds of hours of playing Super Mario 64. It didn’t want to put you through a gauntlet of combat challenges. It simply presented a series of beautiful and detailed worlds for you to explore to your hearts content. On this week’s episode, Pat and James ask:...

In this inaugural cast of Retro Spectives, Pat and James seek the truth by breaking down the following questions: Just how difficult is Doom? It was hard in the past, but have all our years of popping heads in call of duty made it a cakewalk? Are its levels a masterpiece of design or just confusing mazes? How many toxic pits will we go diving into for some bullets or in hope of finding a secret? W...