It seems that no matter where we turn, something’s appealing to the intellectual properties of decades ago. On the movie side of things, there are the remakes of Dune and the new Super Mario Brother’s movie. Then again, with Mario maybe we should just pretend that’s the only one and that the one from 1993 never happened. But it has gotten a high-definition re-release with all the bells and whistles, so maybe there’s something to it. I saw it in theaters way back in the day, and I remember it being… interesting, to say the least. Didn’t tie into the games hardly at all, but at least it had the guy from Who Framed Roger Rabbit in it, right?

Anyway, it seems like everyone’s jumping on the nostalgia train, and you know what? I’m here for it. Even if some are obvious cash grabs with no real merit to them, once you separate the wheat from the chaff you’ll find there are some great IP revivals going on right now. I’m mostly focused on video games in this post, so my top picks (in no particular order) are:

Final Fantasy VII Remake/Rebirth:

As someone who wasn’t a huge fan of the original, I have to say that the remake for Final Fantasy VII has really sunk its claws into me. I always loved the characters from the original, but coming from the Final Fantasy games in the SNES era felt a bit like a drop in quality to me. I wasn’t a fan of the muddy graphics in those early 3D days of the PlayStation 1 era. I was also a Nintendo fanboy at the time, making the jump from the SNES to the N64 and not getting a PS1 until years after its launch. Anyway, I’ve really enjoyed this new presentation of it. The characters have really come to life for me in ways they didn’t in the original, along with the struggles they’re all going through. If you want great storytelling, you can’t go wrong with this retelling of a classic from gaming’s history.

Star Ocean 2

Now that I went and said that the muddy graphics of the PS1 era weren’t really a thing for me, I’m going to potential make myself out to be a hypocrite by talking about another PS1 game that was my favorite of that system: Star Ocean – The Second Story. From the first time I loaded up that black disc after bringing it home from Blockbuster, I was hooked. Two protagonists, one an alien and one a human, must work together with a huge party of companions to save a world from destruction at the hands of a great evil. This game was given the HD-2D treatment made popular with Octopath Traveler, and I’ve loved every minute of it that I’ve had the chance to play. The improved graphics, voice acting, and quality of life changes have really brought it to the fore for me as a player. I can’t recommend it enough.

Space Ghost: Coast to Coast

And last but not least is a real blast from the past that’s been streaming the last few days: the 30th Anniversary of Space Ghost Coast to Coast. If you’ve never seen it, it was a silly show on Cartoon Network, a parody of late night television back in the 90’s. They’d interview real life guests from Weird Al to Conan O’Brien, and then chop the interviews up in such a way as to make it look like they were really interacting with the cartoon character Space Ghost and his staff of weirdo aliens. It’s off-the-wall dumb, but I enjoy it the episodes as much now as I did back then. If you’re interested, check it out below! It’s a 24/7 stream of all the episodes. Nothing new, but sometimes that’s okay, too.

Car Warriors – A Trip Down Bullet-Riddled Memory Lane

And since we’re talking about nostalgia, we’ve got an IP that we’ve been working very hard to bring into the modern era: Steve Jackson Games’s Car Wars universe. The newest version of the tabletop game is out and tearing up the pavement at game shops, conventions, and living rooms all across the fruited plain, and so are the book tie-ins! Two books have launched, with the third just arriving last week!

The big events may get most of the limelight, but that’s not where all the action happens.

This collection of fast-paced, action-packed stories highlights the road warriors who struggle to survive, without the glory of the duel. Caravan guards, gun bunnies, insurance adjusters, mechanics, reporters, scavengers, and more!

If you can’t keep up, maybe it’s time to head back to the garage…

So… what’ll it be?

Will you Go Hard or Go Home?

This anthology is a collection of high-speed shenanigans that put you in the driver’s seat for epic action!
– Mercedes Lackey