Many of us have favourite games from the past that look a bit dated when compared to their modern rivals. Yet, the trend for giving these blasts from the past a 21st-century makeover is giving us an increasing number of ways of getting a retro game with added modern polish.
Monopoly Goes Mobile
This classic board game from Hasbro has been on sale since 1935 and over a billion people are believed to have played it since then. More than 300 different versions have been produced, from the classic version that remains popular to special editions based on the likes of Fortnite, Star Trek and Game of Thrones.
The thrill of trying to buy the most expensive properties and fill them with houses has now gone digital. For example, you can download the Monopoly Mobile app for Android or Apple devices at a cost of £3.99. The version of Monopoly that was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2017 takes the original and presents it in a 3D format with options like Haunted or Amusement Park boards while giving players the chance to add their own house rules too.
Roulette Uses Live Streaming Technology
It is thought that this game’s history can be traced back to the mid-17th century when Blaise Pascal made a wheel while he was trying to create a perpetual motion machine. It has since become popular all over the world, as a casino game that we can see played in movies such as Casablanca from 1942 and 1971’s James Bond romp Diamonds Are Forever. There is even a roulette system named after 007.
You can still play in the old-fashioned way that we saw when Rick helped a young couple win in Casablanca, but online casinos have introduced a fresh approach now too. This is seen in the live roulette games from NetEnt and Evolution Gaming that are available hosted on sites like Betway casino. Multi-camera streaming technology and private tables give players the feeling of being face to face with the dealer as the wheel spins in a way that intrigues even physicists. It’s a classic for many reasons it seems.
Pac-Man Goes 3D
It is easy to forget how big an impact Pac-Man made when it was released by Namco in 1980. The huge success of this simple maze challenge has led to it being classed by US Gamer as the highest-grossing arcade game of all time, with close to $.7.7 million earned, when adjusted for inflation. Many spin-offs were launched but the original, 2D game with its simple graphics and revolutionary monster AI is still the version that most of us know best.
A version that is faithful to the original can be played on Google by typing the name of the game, and they also turned Google Maps into a Pac-Man maze for April Fool’s Day in 2015. Some of the updated versions released since the turn of the century include 2005’s Pac ‘n Roll for the Nintendo DS, the 3D Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures for various consoles and 2016’s Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 from Bandai Namco.
Risk Now Has a Holographic Table
This much-loved board game based on world domination lets players control their armies by rolling the dice. It was created by French film-maker Albert Lamorisse in 1957 and is sold by Hasbro, who was partly responsible for Angry Birds Transformers, with many different versions and themes now available. Parker Brothers sold 100,000 copies in the first year of release in the US, with millions more sold since then.
The move to online Risk has been hugely successful. You can find a slick, visually impressive version on Steam and there is also a mobile app that lets players control their armies wherever they are. A PlayStation 4 title released in 2015 by Ubisoft, who is also behind the upcoming AGOS: A Game for Space, added a holographic table for a futuristic look.
The original massive popularity of these timeless games was perhaps due to their simple gameplay and innovative nature at the time, but increasingly more impressive versions mean players can now choose them for a modern gaming experience too. By combining retro fun with state of the art presentation, players get the best of both worlds.
