Video Games

You crash land on a dark, mysterious planet and stumble across the corpse of an astronaut — and you’re horrified to discover that it’s you.

You can upgrade to a sharper, better version of one of 2020’s best games for free.

I’m a longtime fan of the Resident Evil series, especially “Resident Evil 4” and “Resident Evil 7.” So imagine my delight when realizing “Resident Evil Village” (the 8th game in the series) blends both games into something really fun and special.

There was a time when you couldn’t walk into a video game store without tripping over at least three games based on a comic book, but it has actually been a little while since we’ve seen a good superhero game aimed at younger players.

If you’d rather spend your summer with blasts from the past, you might be interested in the “Neo Geo Pocket Collection.” The 1999 Neo Geo Pocket Color was home to quite a few beloved games.

As a teen, the “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” games almost got me into skateboarding. Almost. The problem, though (aside from my complete lack of balance and fear of injuring myself), is that unlike in a video game, I can’t grind my way through an abandoned mall or through a secret lab at Roswell.

If you’re an old-school gamer that misses the roleplaying games of the Super Nintendo era, “Bravely Default II” is likely up your alley. It’s as if the Final Fantasy series went back to its ’90s gameplay roots but with a storybook-esque graphical overhaul that takes advantage of the more modern Nintendo Switch hardware.

Whether you’re playing alone or with three friends, “Super Mario 3D World” is easily one of the better Mario games to be released in recent history. You’ll run and jump your way through dozens upon dozens of wonderful, colorful Super Mario stages, encountering new twists and surprises right up until the final level.

Nintendo has fully embraced the retro gaming market, releasing a few different vintage consoles featuring a number of highly popular games, including Super Mario Bros.

Originally, Neo Geo made full-size arcade games, so it didn’t have a console for home use. Now, gamers can buy a portable Neo Geo console that gives access to these vintage games, such as Aero Fighters.

Even though the original PlayStation console is only about 25 years old, this retro version is available, and at a reasonable price. It comes preloaded with 20 retro games that PlayStation fans will love seeing again. It includes two controllers, so you can play with a friend. There is no AC adapter included with this console, so you’ll have to supply your own.