What we’ve been playing – “Forget the classics: remaster the duds”
Eurogamer’s weekly games column highlights three recent play sessions, led by a positive early impression of Elden Ring on Nintendo Switch 2. The writer says handheld and docked play make revisiting the game feel fresh, despite occasional frame-rate drops and small on-screen text, while another contributor finds unexpected enjoyment in the remastered The Lord of the Rings: War in the North.
The Elden Ring player is concerned that later, more demanding boss fights may expose performance limits, but values being able to play without buying a Steam Deck. War in the North, originally released 13 years ago, is praised for its split-screen co-op, action and sense of place in Middle-earth, even though its voice acting now feels dated; the article argues that flawed older games can be more worthwhile remaster candidates than established classics.
- Elden Ring runs promisingly on Switch 2, with some caveats.
- War in the North’s remaster proves older imperfections can still charm.
- The column argues remasters should revive overlooked games.
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Elden Ring is a large fantasy action game first released in 2022, known for its difficult battles and a vast world that players can explore in different ways. Nintendo Switch 2 is a newer console that can be used both as a handheld device and on a television, making it possible to play games in either setting.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a 2011 action game set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, but it follows its own group of fighters rather than the main characters from the books and films. It allows people to play together on one screen, a feature often called split-screen co-op.
A remaster is an updated version of an older game, usually made to work better on modern hardware and to improve its graphics or performance. The discussion reflects a wider question in games publishing: whether companies should revisit already celebrated titles, or give less successful but interesting older games another chance.