Archive for October, 2009
Thexder and Digger: another blast from the past
It’s certainly good to be a gamer those days. While the magic isn’t the same (after all, we will always think that the best times were those when we were younger), at least now we have the technology to have state of the art graphics and sound, and the ability to play with people from all around the world without leaving your coach.
I’ve been raised with a computer at home since my early years. My father always liked it, and as a matter of fact I remember playing games on his MSX when I was just 4 or 5 years old. One of those games is called Thexder.
Its a side scroller from 1985 that mix shmup and strategy. The action is good, the graphics were also, and the music is catchy. The first time I ever heard Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata was in Thexder’s game over screen (with all it’s 8bit glory). I liked this game so much that since then, when I hear that sad song, the image of a fallen robot always come to my mind.
Nowadays, thanks to services like Playstation Network and Xbox Live, a lot of simple-yet-enjoyable downloadable games are coming back to life through HD remakes that bring tears to my eyes. Thexder Neo is one of those games. Released only on the PSP, it’s a must buy to anyone who ever liked the original. I must also say that they kept the classic song on the first stages and Moonlight Sonata, which is fantastic!
But the good stuff doesn’t stop there. Last week Digger HD was released. Again, that’s an old game (Digger was released in 1983) that I’ve used to play with my father for hours and hours on a computer with monochromatic monitor. Also, Digger introduced me to the Popcorn song. The new remake doesn’t have it, but you can set a custom soundtrack with any mp3 that you have. On my case, I made a playlist with half a dozen Popcorn versions that I have.
My father, who is now 51 years old and never played games anymore (he says its too complicated to him), loved it and now we play Digger HD on cooperative mode! Really great! KUDOS for Sony, Backbone and Square. Bring back the old gems!
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