Blizzard Arcade Collection Review (PlayStation 4)

Summary

Announced and released during this year’s Blizzcon, Blizzard arcade collection gave us a trio for games that started Blizzard’s entry into gaming. We got The lost Vikings, a unique puzzle adventure game where you have 3 Vikings who all do something different and you need to combine their skills in order to solve puzzles, I had it on the Saturn I think and I did really like it so seeing it again was a cool nostalgia trip, But being a Heroes of the Storm player, I have had The lost Vikings in my view for a long time so a trip back their own game was good but not as impactful. Next up we have Blackthorne, a 2D action-adventure platformer. I have to be honest I had never really heard of it except for the odd mention in-game magazines so this was a good way for me to experience it for the first time. It’s an alright game with a steep learning curve as it uses a lot of now redundant features and control styles, again it was good but I didn’t really gel with it. For me, the third game is worth the price alone, Rock n Roll racing! I have limited experience with it but I always loved the isometric racers after RC Pro-Am so going back to this was an absolute blast, in fact, it’s the game I spent and continue to spend the most time in. They kept the soundtrack intact which was surprising especially with how hard song rights are at the moment. Rock n Roll racing Definitive Edition gives us the classic gameplay but with a proper CD-quality soundtrack so we have singing and proper instrument noises along with a more active race announcer. The game does support 4 player mode now (originally only 2 could play) and it works really well. Aside from the games, we get a museum-style section where you can watch interviews with the devs/designers, look at concept art and the thought process behind things such as animation or color, it’s an interesting set of features that I enjoyed sitting down with. OK, so each original version games have video settings and every definitive edition except Rock n Roll racing support save state, why racing couldn’t have it is beyond me, having to bust out a pad and pen for a password write-down is nostalgic but a nightmare. Overall it’s a good collection but it is very limited and does feel like a minimal effort especially when you look at collections like Rare Replay or even the more recent Turrican or Contra collections. You buy this for nostalgia or one game in particular but it will bug you that it is so bare-bones and why no online rock n roll racing! I mean come the fuck on! I kid but I did really enjoy playing the games, some for the first time, and having Rock n roll racing on tap is smile-inducing but even that got the short end of the stick. Blizzard arcade collection is a must-have for die-hard fans but for everyone else it’s a bare minimum effort to grab nostalgia. No matter which version you get, It is identical.