What we've been playing - "Forget the classics: remaster the duds"

Hello and welcome to our regular feature on the games we've been playing. This week, Kelsey didn't have to play Elden Ring again; Bertie hung out in the Prancing Pony with edgy Aragorn; and I had a blast with The War in the North, a surprise remastered edition. It's hard to remember what we were playing last week, but the What We've Been Playing archive has you covered.

I've already shared my thoughts on the opening hours of my experience with Elden Ring on the Nintendo Switch 2. While there are occasional frame drops, the ability to play the game docked and handheld is a dream come true. The nostalgia of experiencing the game from the beginning again has been a pleasant surprise, despite having to sacrifice a limb to enjoy it once more.

Switching gears, I recently delved into The War in the North, a remastered edition of an older game. Surprisingly, I found more fun in this version than I anticipated. The power of the brand, fueled by Peter Jackson's films, adds to the allure of immersing oneself in the LOTR world, even if I wasn't expecting the voice acting to be as good as it was.

While the action RPG genre usually thrusts players into battles against orcs, this remastered edition offers a broader experience. My partner and I spent a considerable amount of time exploring Bree, completing little quests with characters sporting distinct regional accents. The voice acting has significantly improved over the years, and the game's action fits seamlessly with the epic battles from the books and films.

The visual style, with its murky grey-brown coloring reminiscent of the films or perhaps a certain console era, complements the overall experience. Despite it feeling like a museum piece, I'm pleased to see the game has received another chance at life. So, let's forget the classics and embrace the duds, as they sometimes offer the most memorable gaming experiences.