Back again for our regular Sunday roundup of quick-fire reviews and impressions of everything under the spotlight at Retro Arcadia this week, old and new and a bit of both… And yes, I do now realise I’ve totally missed a trick by not getting into 180 on the ZX Spectrum here, but unfortunately all too late!

It seemed to take forever but I finally saw the end of Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker a couple of weeks back, which I did cover in one of these previously but it grew on me even more since – huge game and hugely ambitious considering it was built for the PSP. Anyway, by my reckoning, 2008’s Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on PlayStation 3 is next on my journey through all of them, and as usual by now, it takes convoluted to a whole new level so I’m not sure how much difference that makes, although I am regularly checking back on lore from the previous seven (maybe?) entries just to remember who is who, as Old Snake (series regular Solid Snake mysteriously aging prematurely) goes on one last hoorah! It’s set in 2014 across several war zones and unstable locations, and once again he’s up against his arch-enemy Liquid Snake (currently inhabiting the body of former croney Revolver Ocelot and going by the name of Liquid Ocelot), who’s trying to take control of an AI system running the world’s private military companies, who in turn keep its (alternate post-Cold War) civil war-reliant economy moving. I think! It bounces around so much it’s hard to be sure, which is bonkers considering I must have spent as long watching cutscenes as actually doing anything over the eight or so hours so far! Despite these very lengthy periods of inactivity, I’ve actually enjoyed the overall on-off pacing though, and definitely enjoyed the part-stealth, part-Rambo, mostly over-the-shoulder action and wild set pieces! Having just played the HD remaster of Peacewalker does mean playing needs a bit less thought too, but there are new some additions, such as your Metal Gear Mk. II support robot and a cool new octopus-mimicking camouflage system, and things like aiming and close quarters combat also feel far more refined. And whether cutscene or gameplay, it still looks remarkable, to the point you often forget it’s a video game (and certainly an early PS3 one)! Proper blockbuster stuff, and that also goes for the soundtrack, and the sound design in general, and pretty much everything – I really love this one so far, and it’s already up there as one of the best of these I’ve played. 

With the new MLB season now in full swing, I thought I’d start a new one of my own, and having done alright for itself in my recent Top Ten Favourite Baseball Games countdown, I’ve gone back to High Heat Major League Baseball 2003 on PlayStation 2, which I finally managed to get a decent picture of in action using emulation but I’m actually playing on original hardware! It’s from 2002, and while perhaps not the most glamorous of baseball games, should such a thing exist, and maybe also not having the most content either (although it does have some cool modes), it’s fully licensed and it just plays a really well-paced, well-balanced and enjoyable game! The graphics are also more accurate and functional than mind-blowing but aside from sometimes getting a bit confused when the ball goes fast and long, they do the job well, with some really nice animation too, and similar for the audio, although the in-game commentary is impressively ambitious and mostly spot-on! Pitching, fielding and at-bat controls are where this comes into its own though, familiar and intuitive if you’re into your old baseball games, but forward-thinking too, adding sub-mechanics, taking advantage of the PS2 controller, and making for some really smooth plays from the outset. It’s not blockbuster at all but if you want a proper game of baseball that’s easy to find your own level with, and with plenty of depth but without too much fuss, then this might be the one, and is certainly one I’m happy to be spending time with again! 

I love a bit of American Deep South folklore, so I’ve been looking forward to South of Midnight’s arrival on Xbox Game Pass this week since it was first announced, and it has not disappointed! It’s a modern tale about modern characters but is steeped in ancient history and ancient magic too, as you guide your college-athlete (I think!) protagonist on a journey of discovery about herself and her family’s hidden past, as she tries to find her missing mother in the aftermath of the hurricane you find yourself preparing for as the game begins. Things quickly take a turn for the weird as, guided by ghosts, your powers to “weave” the twisted environment, the mysterious beasts inhabiting it, and your own destiny gradually emerge. Mechanically, it’s the same third-person action-adventure you got used to when you were playing God of War on PS2 but twenty years more fluid, as you explore and manipulate things to explore a bit more… Combat is more on the functional side when it happens, but how imaginative what you come up against is more than compensates, and that goes for the swamplands and forests, backwater towns and eerie old mansions you find yourself in too, and it’s all so so good-looking, going for this lifelike claymation thing that really brings the already-excellent narrative to life. Olivier Deriviere’s bluesy, folky, gospel-y Southern Gothic soundtrack is something else too. This game is just so enjoyable and everything I wanted it to be, and I think Atomfall (see here) might have some competition for game of the year so far!

I went long there (which now seems to be inevitable whenever another Metal Gear is involved) so 180 or not, we’ll call it a day for this time! Speaking of going long though, in case you missed it last Wednesday, another really special deep-dive for me, mixing actual depth and strategy with accessibility and outright fun, as we discovered the frankly unbelievable Star Raiders on Atari 400/800, all the way from 1979! Do check that out, and do check back again next Wednesday, when we’re going to be heading way deeper into my psyche than originally planned as we enter the murky world of my Top Ten Favourite Guilty Gaming Pleasures. Hopefully see you then! 

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