This week’s releases are all retreads of games that previously came out, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you grew up gaming, you probably have memories of playing concoctions by the developer Rare. Whether you go back to the NES Battletoads and R.C. Pro-AM days or you crushed on Joanna Dark in Perfect Dark Zero, you’ll have a good time revisiting those memories in Rare Replay, an Xbox One compilation of 30 Rare titles. There are also updates from the Abyss Odyssey and Etrian Odyssey franchises out for the taking.
Abyss Odyssey: Extended Dream Edition
(PS4, $15, Teen)
A graphically enhanced port of a brawler that came out on PS3 last year, Abyss Odyssey: Extended Dream Edition feels understandably dated as it debuts on the PS4. Blending influences from Spelunky, Rogue Legacy and Smash Bros., the beat-em-up struggles to find its spot between legacy-embracing retro-friendliness and boldness to fit in comfortably with modern games. You button-mash your way to combos, juggling overly busy visuals and yammering characters as you romp through levels.
Set in the early 20th century, you play as a Chilean infantryman who hunts down a warlock intent on ushering in the apocalypse. There are also ghost demons who live inside a monk’s robe, a fireball-slinging knight and buxom ladies to gawk at. You can take on the unrelenting silliness in two-player online co-op or four players offline. Aside from unlocking abilities and movesets, which help you build up dizzying combos, there’s not much to the slim gameplay. The lark is a questionable impulse-buy at $15, but more worthy of a try for PlayStation Plus members, who get 40 percent off.
Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight
(3DS, $50, Teen)
With a slew of rock-solid mainline releases and spinoffs on the 3DS, the Etrian Odyssey RPGs have become some of the most enjoyable time-killers on Nintendo’s handheld. The games weigh in at hefty prices — with the new one, The Fafnier Knight, weighing it at $50 — but pump out more than enough intriguing gameplay to justify the cost. This release revisits the 2008 DS game Etrian Oyssey 2: Heroes of Laggard, improving the graphics, updating the interface and filling out holes in the story with a new quest filled with characters and dialogue that branch off of the main tale.
The dungeon crawler plays like most of the other games in the series, with you taking the helm of a character party and facing off against monsters as you seek treasures and upgrades. The game comes with a bunch of free DLC available off the bat, with other story buffs and equipment upgrades rolling out over the next several weeks. There are options for all play levels, including a simplified run-through that lets you enjoy the story without learning advanced battle mechanics, as well as an expert mode that will tax even the most obsessive Etrian fans. Physical copies come with a soundtrack CD and booklet that takes you behind the scenes of the development process.
Rare Replay
(Xbox One, $30, Mature)
Before the Microsoft-owned developer slipped into its creative funk, Rare was one of the most formidable forces in the industry, cranking out some of the most diverse and inventive franchises. This 30-game compilation rounds up most of the developer’s standout creations to rival Halo: The Master Chief Collection as the Xbox One’s best anthology. There is so much to play, explore and revisit here that it will take you months to work your way through all the content.
Piling on multiple games from the R.C. Pro-Am, Perfect Dark, Banjo Kazooie, Battletoads and Viva Pinata series, as well as the excellent stand-alones Killer Instinct and Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll. Everything plays authentically like the way they originally did on systems such as the NES, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis or original Xbox. Developers could have touched up the graphics and controls, but there is no sense in screwing with what works so well already. If you’ve just bought an Xbox One or have burned your way through all your games, this should be your next purchase. Even if you’re loaded down with amazing games to play, you should find a way to work Rare Replay into your rotation.
