Kia ora! Matty Flatt here, and I’m stepping in for (most of) the rest of the week on Hoddle duties. Hopefully you don’t miss Fitzie too much.
One thing I don’t think anyone is missing right now is football… especially with the end of the transfer window nigh. So let’s talk escapism instead.
As most of you know, one of the ways I like to have some fun is gaming. When I grew up (dating myself here), there were two consoles that you would I guess deem as rivals in the market, and as a kid you were one of each
of these camps: the Playstation, or the Nintendo 64.
I was an N64 kid. I grew up on the likes of Super Mario 64, Goldeneye, Ocarina of Time… and Lylat Wars (which was called Star Fox 64 in some countries).
Speaking of which…
Recently I got a Switch 2 for myself (and the family, but mostly myself), and not too long ago there was something of a surprise announcement: Nintendo were releasing a remake of Lylat Wars, a 2026 reimagining of the N64 game rebuilt from the ground up.
In general, I’m not a fan of remakes. Normally, I’m happy to just go play the original; I still have my N64 in the TV cabinet all hooked up. So initially I scoffed… until I saw there was a free demo. I figured why not just have a little fun? And that’s how they get you.
Launching into Meteo with updated graphics, with the familiar music and characters but absolutely stunning visuals just tugged at those nostalgia strings in all the right ways, and soon enough I purchased the full game. It’s an amazing remake; they haven’t tried to change much, there are no microtransactions or the like and all the single player mechanics are the same, but with the addition of a rejigged multiplayer and a very challenging… challenge mode.
Since it was released, I’ve sunk hours into it. It’s been worth every penny. It’s kind of a unicorn in the gaming world; there’s not much out there that’s quite like it: a (mostly) on-rails space shooter, with differing progression paths and alternate endings. You could say it was ahead of its time.
Some remakes are disappointing; not this one.
Any remakes you’ve played lately? Which did you find a cheap cash grab, and which do you really enjoy?
Matty Flatt’s track of the day: Spinning the Wheel, by George Michael
And now for your links:
ICYMI: Richy is grumpy about lots of things as his move to Everton collapses, via Alasdair Gold
Kat Lucas at The i Paper writes about Spurs’ revamped recruitment structure, which is clearly working wonders to secure the likes of Mudryk
The Athletic ($$) break down some of the potential remaining business on Deadline Day
For the football tragics: here’s a podcast courtesy of the BBC diving into the lower echelons of Scottish football
