Killer Instinct has been a cult classic fighter ever since its release, and to this day it is one of the most praised fighting games of all time. So, with Banjo-Kazooie finally released on the Xbox LIVE Arcade, is it time to talk about bringing more of Rare’s games into the mix? Rare has received many emails from fans begging them to bring old franchises to the XBLA and according to Shacknews, it’s definitely a possibility. Of course, fan favorites like Killer Instinct are at the top of the “wanted” list.

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By “reviews,” I mean takes unexplainable joy in jumping off cliffs and rewinding time again and again. For those avoiding Braid due to its pretentious, artsy carriage, perhaps evidence of the simple pleasure derived from crooning “Bwoooooop” as you reverse time will change your mind about “this game, right, for people who smoke, or people who drink, like, if you drink beer and you get drunk…” Of course, once liquored up and suckered into the Braid fold, the game will regain its ostentatious nature and scream “I psyched yo’ ass out, bitch!”

When games borrow ideas and concepts from other titles, they often lose sight of their own vision and, ultimately, devolve into failure.  Braid is entirely the opposite. It purposely and blatantly borrows the 2D platforming concepts of Super Mario Bros., while also sneaking in the puzzle and time-traveling elements of Prince of Persia, the Impressionist vision of Van Gogh and the storytelling of films like Memento.  Yes, it does this, but it never loses sight of itself, which is why Braid is truly a fantastic, little game – small imperfections aside.

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1080p resolution. Bloom lighting. Normal mapping. 8-bit graphics? The latest wave of consoles is more high tech than ever, but old-school gaming is surprisingly still in vogue. All three next-gen consoles offer services that celebrate the best of our gaming heritage. A pleasant side effect of this dedication to preserving past classics has been a retro revival; re-releasing older titles is just the tip of the warp pipe. Leave it to long-time industry trendsetter Capcom to rock the retro boat by announcing that Mega Man 9 is being built from the ground up for the Wii, 360, and PS3 in glorious 8-bit. Commence cheering, gaming geezers – everything old is new again.

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