As the winds of autumn gather to whip us, like some sort of FromSoftware boss inspired by Devo, games shall emerge as your perfect reason to stay indoors. Admittedly, we’re in the dead period of the year, so that means looking back to recent releases and classics of yore. If you do want to keep things seasonal, it’s the perfect time to play the discounted Resi 4 Remake and Far Cry 5 below—both of which take place in autumn. Otherwise, just binge a ton of Yakuza games (purely because they’re cheap and awesome).

In retro news, I’m celebrating the 21st birthday of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, a GameCube gem worth every rupee. I have vivid launch memories of being blown away by the (fandangle and fairly groundbreaking) cel-shaded visuals and the sheer size of this vast Waterworld. Furthermore, the “living cartoon” aesthetic allowed for wackier than usual NPCs to shine through like never before. Cases in point: a significantly larger role for the turbo-flamboyant Tingle, plus the hilarity of that Battleship Minigame Guy. “Ker-BOOOM!”

This Day in Gaming

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

– Batman Returns (SNES) 1993. Ebay

– The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC) 2003. Ebay

– Transformers (PS2) 2004. Ebay