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Retro Games

Retro Games Franchises and their Current Day Counterparts

June 9, 2021

Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat has been shocking gamers with its gore-filled fights and bloody finishing moves ever since its first release to arcades in 1992. It was a hit with gamers in the 90s and has remained a gaming giant ever since, however it hasn’t always been a smooth ride for Mortal Kombat. The game has often faced backlash for its gore and violence, facing censorship and even being banned in countries such as Australia. The latest installment in the franchise, Mortal Kombat 11, continued the trend set by its predecessor, with violence and excessively brutal finishing moves throughout. Fans of the series have also enjoyed multiple live-action films with the latest being released in May 2021.

An Image Of A Mortal Kombat Arcade Machine
Retro games franchises and their current day counterparts 6

Pacman

Pacman has been a fan favourite since his debut in Japan in 1980, dodging ghosts and eating cherries on the way to amassing a huge following and securing a spot in the gaming hall of fame. Pacman has become so popular and is now such a cultural staple that the original game can simply be played with just a google search! More recently Pacman has found himself on our smartphones, with sequels and spin-offs seeing him battle ghosts on the go. He even has an animated series, starring Pacman and his friends becoming the President of Pac-world.

An Image Showing A Game Of Pacman Being Played
Retro games franchises and their current day counterparts 7

Bomberman

Bomberman’s explosive gameplay has kept players engrossed since the ’80s and stayed a household name through the decades. His first appearance on the NES has bred many spinoffs, with browser-based flash games, sequels, and new characters, such as Bombergirl in 2018. Bomberman shows no sign of slowing down as his latest game, “Super Bomberman R Online” is set to be released on May 27th.

An Image Of The Bomberman Logo
Retro games franchises and their current day counterparts 8

Sonic

Sonic the Hedgehog has been the figurehead of Sega since his first game in 1991. Since then, he has spawned a whole roster of friends and characters, spanning several different games. In more recent years, Sonic has been competing at the Olympics, racing go-karts, along with some re-released classic sonic games. Some of Sonics’ friends and characters even have games for themselves, such as Shadow the Hedgehog. Sonic also hit the big screen in 2020 when his official movie was released starring Hollywood star Jim Carrey.

An Image Of A Level From Sonic
Retro games franchises and their current day counterparts 9

Mario

Mario started life as the daring plumber in Nintendo’s Donkey Kong in 1981. Back then he was simply known as Jumpman, as it wasn’t until the sequel Donkey Kong Jr, he was given the mantle of Mario, which went on to become one of the biggest names in gaming globally. The original Donkey Kong sold 60,000 units and quickly became of the most popular games at the time. Since then, Mario has diversified, with the hit Mario-Kart series becoming equally as successful and producing numerous sequels. The 2017 Super Mario Odyssey was a critically acclaimed game, by both critics and fans, even winning a BAFTA for best Family and Social Game. The latest adventure for Mario and friends, Super Mario 3D World + Bowsers Fury has kept the success going for Nintendo, being a massively popular hit, and scoring well with both fans and official reviewers.

Mario
Retro games franchises and their current day counterparts 10

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