I take issue with this statement: "As a free bonus, this collection also includes original, non-remastered versions of Homeworld Classic and Homeworld 2 Classic, preserving the purest form of the original releases with compatibility for modern operating systems. " Specifically, the word "preserving" is the one I take issue with. The original Homeworld had LAN play. Homeworld Classic does not, Gearbox inexplicably ripped it out. That's not preserving games, that's crippling them. Single player is still great, but the fact remains that for some people multiplayer was a large part of the experience, so 3 stars from me.
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a remake of 1989's Wonder Boy III for the Sega Master System and Game Gear. Lizardcube did an amazing job of re-drawing the art and re-composing the music, while staying faithful to the original. Everything you will see on-screen has been re-drawn by hand and the music was redone with instruments played by actual musicians. Looking at the game being played, you would never think this was a nearly 30-year old game. That said, there is a caveat. While the sound and art assets were completely redone, the gameplay was left completely untouched. This means no tutorials, no in-game messages and only a few visual hints to point you in the right direction. I found myself aimlessly wondering the levels more than once, because I had no idea where to go and at some point I had to resort to looking up a walkthrough. Nevertheless, good times were had. The game also does not overstay its welcome. I finished the game in a little over 7 hours, but you can easily beat in two hours or so, if you know what you're doing and where to go (which I didn't on both counts). Highly recommended.
You might be like me. You might not like the survival horror genre, because the creepy ambiance doesn't do anything for you and all you are left with is a basic story and deliberately clunky controls to make you feel powerless. If you are like me, you will still enjoy SOMA. I'll be honest. I initially was not going to pick up SOMA, because it is a survival horror game. However, the trailers for the game were very well done (definitely check out the Mockingbird and Vivarium trailers), so I decided to check it out anyways. I'm glad I did. First off, technical stuff. I've played this on Linux and have encountered no issues. Provided you fulfill the requirements, the game runs at a smooth 60 FPS. Speaking of, I would also add a good set of headphones to the requirements, as the sound design is incredible. Okay, on to why I love this game. Personally, I wouldn't think of SOMA as a survival horror game, but rather as a sci-fi thriller with a strong emphasis on mood. You will encounter adversaries, but most of the time it will be just you and the oppressive atmosphere of PATHOS-II. That said, survival is still very much a thing in SOMA. You will constantly have to keep your wits about you and be aware of your surroundings. Thing is, it won't be your survival instinct that will keep you going. The driving factor for me was the story. What starts out as a survival scenario, quickly evolves into something much more. It kills me that I can't expand on the game's strongest point for fear of spoiling it, but I will say this: the story will keep you thinking long after you've completed the game. If you like sci-fi, if you like plots that keep you wondering or alternatively, if you are curious to see what may be Frictional Games' biggest departure from their previous works, you owe it to yourself to play this game.
