Throughout the years we've seen many great video game compilations; most of which have taken the form of re-releases and HD re-masters. Though the topic of HD remakes, re-masters, and re-releases are an extremely controversial topic in the gaming community these days, we all have to admit that some of them have been done with such care and truly bring some great old experiences to a new generation! These are some of not only the best value packed game compilations, but just some of our favorite experiences to go back and revisit in higher resolutions! Remember that this is our personal opinion on the matter but we would love to hear your top five down below!
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5. The Master Chief Collection ($30)
- Even though the release of The Master Chief Collection was a little rocky, with broken servers constantly disconecting players from matches, and a fairly clumsy user interface, that didn't stop the invincible spartan 117. Myself and other fans alike were marveled to see Halo 2 get a proper make-over that it rightly deserved! 343 Industries once again including the ability to switch from the games original graphics to the updated version ON THE FLY makes all gamerz see how far we've come in just over a decade. While a lot of the attention is held by Halo 2, since this was the only game remastered from the ground up for XBOX ONE, the collection has all four of the Halo games spanning the Original Xbox to Xbox 360. Also if you were "lucky" enough to buy the collection on release, you would also have received the remaster of Halo 3: ODST due to the atrocious launch of the online servers.
4. Rare Replay ($20)
- Thirty years of game development has it's ups and downs; but is something that deserves merit and appreciation. Rare Replay is a celebration of these ups and downs, packed with thirty games. Many are dated beyond belief and you will probably pass over without blinking an eye, but there are some gems in there. The original Perfect Dark, Banjo & Kazooie series, and Viva Pinata series all have hours of fun content to explore. The game also rewards you for all your accomplishments, slowly but surely unlocking some awesome making of videos featuring former and current Rare Studios staff members. If you love old school gaming, arcades, and nostalgic experiences then you should definitely give Rare Replay a try. (Just don't rage to hard when playing Battletoads).
3. Uncharted Nathan Drake Collection ($15)
- Nathan Drake is a sarcastic treasure hunter, who has some crazy adventures. He's like Lara Croft except doesn't have boobs.... Yet surprisingly more interesting than her. The story and charming characters take a forefront to the game-play, which is a mix of 3rd person shooting and Assassins Creed climbing and treasure hunting. Not much to say here other than this is one of Sony's biggest series for selling the PS3, now refined with higher resolution and better anti-aliasing on the PS4 and PS4 Pro. There was a ton of copies in circulation due to it being bundled with the PS4 at one time, so you can often find it fairly cheap, but that doesn't take away from the fact that these are great games. It should really go without saying, but if you haven't played it yet BUY IT NOW!
2. BioShock Collection ($25)
- BioShock is the first game I purchased for my Xbox 360, hell it's the reason I purchased it. The art, music, and emotion pores out from every footstep you take further into the universe. Audio Tapes will take you back to witness broken relationships, abusive parents, and the underbelly of black markets. To go into all the fundamentals of what makes BioShock a great game would take a very long time. It never comes off as snobby even though it is what some might consider to have an "arthouse" appearance. While BioShock 2 may not have the greatest story, the gameplay is very tight and it feels good to be a Big Daddy and I really enjoyed protecting Little Sisters while they collected Adam from dead bodies. It still maintains a great art style and is by all accounts a fun and good game, it just didn't meet the high expectations. BioShock Infinite has the most complex story, so if you have a hard time grasping concepts of multiple realities and dimensions, it may go over your head. Try it though because it has more mindfuck then an eight of dried shrooms.
1. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy ($40)
- It's hard to deny this remaster, we haven't seen a Crash Bandicoot game in years and the last few to "grace" us has been less then pleasant. This is also exactly what any nineties kid imagines when they think of the perfect remaster, restoring a games graphical fidelity and improving the animations and sound design, all while keeping the tight game-play mechanics that made the game a joy to play. You will be surprised when you hop in and it's actually a lot more challenging then you remembered. Was it because older games were harder? Or just twenty years of getting high, eating Taco Bell, and drinking Mountain Dew. (Maybe thats just me) The game doesn't cash out on it's name either, being forty bucks you basically pay twelve dollars a game which is well worth the entry price for such a beautiful collection.