Back again for my 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. I have been preoccupied with work stuff, moving house stuff and other boring stuff this week, so only have a couple of games to cover, although outside of gaming, I have returned to my research for a book idea I’ve been messing around with for ages, which I did tease here last week too… Actually, by “messing around,” I mean I’m several thousand words deep now, and while it’s not directly related to gaming as such, there is a link! It is taking forever though, so I’m not going to go into too much detail because what I’m doing seems to be unique and someone else might easily get there before me if I give it away, but we’re talking cryptozoology, which is the study of creatures whose existence hasn’t been scientifically proven, such as Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. There’s more than meets the eye (or not) to the aspect of it I’m interested in though, which first hit the headlines back in the 19th Century American Wild West, and subsequently became mystery upon mystery, which I’m partly remotely investigating using an Xbox Series X and an impressive bit of its more “serious” software library. And that’s all I’m saying, but time-consuming as it is, it’s made it really good fun too! Sorry, even more of a tease than before, so let’s jump to these games!  

There aren’t many “big” games I return to over and over, but Batman Arkham Asylum seems to regularly make its way back onto both my PlayStation 3, where I originally obsessed over it at launch back in 2009, and also my Xbox Series X, where I picked up the Batman: Return to Arkham collection (originally for Xbox One) in a sale more recently, and that’s where I’m playing again at the moment… And all it took this time was a chance mention here last week when I was talking about Condemned! Anyway, I love these games, but in particular this one, where everything is just a bit more focussed than in its successors, as you try to seize back control of the iconic secure hospital for the criminally insane from Joker and a menagerie of your other foes (previously) locked up in there. It’s third-person action to the max, combining the most fluid, feel-good combat pretty much ever seen in a game to this day with stealth, detective work and the coolest gadgets, as you open up the asylum and its surrounds through narrative missions, new abilities and upgrades. There’s so much other stuff to find on top of that too, with a ridiculous amount of collectibles to find or puzzle your way to, challenge modes and other content to unlock, and some of gaming’s most cryptic secrets to uncover! This thing is certainly ripe for a glorious remaster but the presentation is still as polished as you like, and it plays like a dream. Just like the sequel, which I’ll inevitably be telling you all about here next week!

After my friend, Nick Jenkin, reviewed the ZX Spectrum port on his prolific retro-gaming YouTube channel (here) last week, I was inspired to go back to my favourite version of Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom, which isn’t that one, but is the 1984 (I think!) Colecovision one instead! That said, I’m always happy playing any of several versions of this game, and in particular, the Atari 8-bit and 2600 ports, although to this day I’ve never played the arcade original, which came from Sega in 1982, and in turn was an adaptation of their pioneering 3D racer, Turbo, from 1981 (which I have played). The conversions then followed on everything because that Buck Rogers license was a big deal back then, tenuous as any in-game association is – you’re Buck, it’s the 25th Century, and you’re fighting aliens who’ve invaded the Planet of Zoom! This all plays out as a 3D shoot ‘em up across increasingly difficult rounds made up of multiple stages, featuring variations of Death Star trench run type things, outer space, planet surface then a mothership battle, and in each you need to take down a certain number of approaching UFOs while avoiding missiles, asteroids and other hazards, although the unpredictable and reckless enemy pilots are always the biggest danger! The different types of 3D motion are very impressive, as are the varied and detailed visuals, especially the traditional flying-saucer UFOs, and also the creepy sci-fi soundscape playing over the action, which soon gets frantic but never stops being fun.

Right, as said, just a couple of games this time, but in case you missed it last Wednesday, do check out my literal deep-dive into Turbo Sub on Atari Lynx, which is a hell of a handheld 3D shooter in its own right, but might also be one of the finest examples of a conversion that’s better than the arcade original you’ll ever come across! And with that, I’m going to head back to my globe-trotting, time-spanning hunt for something that didn’t exist hundreds of years ago, wish you a great week ahead, and hopefully see you again for more of the same nonsense next Sunday!

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