Ruminating on old games

Playing through Castle Crashers and Halo 2 again is like mainlining a potent dose of nostalgia straight to the brain. A journey to a simpler time, back when my universe wasn't such a tangled mess of bullshit. Castle Crashers- what a game. Arcade beat ‘em up bliss. A veritable cornucopia of characters and weapons guarantees each playthrough an entirely unique adventure. Sure, it's designed for co-op- that's the optimal way to experience its chaotic beauty- but even solo, it’s a hell of a ride. 

This time, I've been wielding Pink Knight, a flamboyant warrior whose magic attacks blast killer rainbows and explosive plushies. They're a riot. I remember playing this game with my friends over and over, until the pixels practically burned into our retinas. Not unlike Halo 2.

 A goddamn revolution. Halo: CE shattered the FPS genre, but Halo 2 refined that brilliance to a razor’s edge. Despite numerous content cuts, its campaign remains, in my mind, the best in the series, and the multiplayer is the bedrock of modern team-based matchmaking. I've been diving into a modded campaign that restores Bungie’s lost content- new weapons, vehicles, and level structures that breathe new life into this old war horse of a game. Halo was the reason I needed an Xbox, it was all Nintendo before then, and now, thanks to the Steam Deck, I can relive these classics anywhere.

Up until recently, I'd forgotten how the sound design of these old Halo games carved itself into my psyche. Those songs, those sound effects- they're imprinted on my brain from countless hours in one friend's garage or another’s basement, battling the Covenant and evading the Flood in Combat Evolved. Halo 3 turned the gaming world upside down, but I haven't circled back to that one yet. Remember the Halo 3 edition Xbox 360? As much as I revere Halo 2, I probably spent more time with 3 or Reach; that was when I was really competitive. But Halo 2- man, it holds a sacred place in my heart. Fucking dual wield, man.