Nostalgia is big business
FROM TV shows that tap into our childhoods, to retro toys and figures that tug on sentimental heartstrings, nostalgia is a powerful emotion.
And nothing sweeps you back to happier times like a treasured video game. The graphics, the music, the muscle-memory as you play through, you are instantly transported back to the first time you fell in love with a title.
Luckily there’s a wealth of reimaginings, remakes, and remastered games out there to feed that yearning to revisit a past triumph. Here are five of the best money can buy.
Demon’s Souls (PEGI 18) PS5
Billed as a remake of 2009’s exceptional action RPG, this PlayStation exclusive is jaw-droppingly beautiful.
A launch title for Sony’s PS5, it’s still one of the most impressivelooking games I’ve seen on the console so far.
Alongside the stunning environments and immersive soundscape, the combat is just as unforgiving as you remember – with no difficulty levels to switch between.
Built from the ground up, developers Bluepoint Games masterfully walked the line between modernising a classic, while remaining faithful to the source material.
Any changes that have been made are unobtrusive, blending seamlessly into the action like they’ve been there from day one. And fast loading time means you don’t mind when you get your backside handed to you for the umpteenth time.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2
(PEGI 12) PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, XBOX SX, PC, Switch
Rightly considered one of the greatest sporting games of all time, Pro Skater brought skateboarding to the masses.
Vicarious Visions has neatly bundled both games together, stripping them to their bare and essential elements, then layering them with tweaks and extras.
One of the greatest things I found is the ability to transfer your character between games, taking all your upgrades and progress with you.
Visually it’s breathtaking. Skating environments have been rendered with rich texture and colour, the drops are now vertigo inspiring, the sunlight dazzling, the shadows deep and enriching.
As for the skateboarding itself, none of the adrenaline pumping action has been sacrificed, and there have been some new tricks added from later franchise entries to help you boost your total as the timer ticks down.
Final Fantasy VII Remake (PEGI 16) PS4
The pressure was on with this one, as Final Fantasy VII is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time.
Less of a remake and more of a reinvention, this elevates the saga of Cloud Strife, vastly building on the lore that’s gone before.
This remake only spans the first five hours of the original story, with the action taking place almost solely in the cyber-pink city of Midgar.
While this is a full length game – clocking in at more than 30 hours – as you can imagine, the plot does feel a tad thin in places.
But by thinning out the story, the game hyper focuses on the characters, fleshing them out much more than the original ever did.
Graphically this is breathtaking. Rich, vibrant environments give a sense of depth and breadth, while the beautiful lighting and haunting score add atmosphere.
Shadow of the Colossus (PEGI 12) PS4
It’s hard to state just how absolutely groundbreaking this game was when it was released in 2005.
A heartbreaking tale about the destructive selfishness of grief and loss, it tells the story of Wander, a young man who enters a forbidden land in order to restore life to a girl called Mono.
But Wander must complete a terrible task for his request, he must slaughter the 16 colossi that roam the wilderness in exchange for Mono’s life.
Bluepoint Games has done a beautiful job in preserving the game’s identity.
The landscapes are barren and still – the eerily quiet fog and understated maps a masterclass in effective minimalism – the colossi themselves are breathtaking in their enormity.
When you cross their paths they don’t attack you, you have to goad and needle them to provoke a reaction and when you eventually deliver the killer blow, it feels more anguished than triumphant.
Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy
(PEGI 7) PS4, XBOX ONE, PC, Switch It’s 25 years since mutant marsupial Crash Bandicoot debuted on the PlayStation, and cemented himself as one of the all-time great video game characters.
With more than a dozen titles under his belt, his zany antics were starting to wear a little thin ... until this remaster came along.
The N. Sane Trilogy takes Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: Warped and wraps them up into one, beautiful little package.
Scrubbed up for new consoles, the cartoony graphics look better than ever, and belie just how tricky this game can be.
A couple of nice little extras have been included, such as the addition of an online leaderboard and a cloud saving feature.
And there’s a few helping hands into the mix in the form of power ups and checkpoints – absolute lifelines for beginners and those who are a little rusty.