Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Gamescom 2025 schedule
  • Gamescom
  • Battlefield 6
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
A screenshot of PUCK eating an enemy during the upcoming Xbox Series X game, Shadow Labyrinth.
Games The best retro remakes and reboots out there aren't afraid to get weird with it – as Shadow Labyrinth being a dark and gritty Pac-Man game shows us
A warrior overlooking ruins on a grassy field beneath a grey sky in Shadow of the Colossus
Games The games industry might be built on borrowed ideas, but new ones have to come from somewhere – even if Fumito Ueda says "the era of game mechanics is over"
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Action Games Onimusha: Way of the Sword director would much rather "express the clashing of blades" in a franchise revival than turn it into a Soulslike: "It certainly isn't a punishing die-and-retry game"
Heroes 3 screenshot
Strategy Games The greatest strategy RPG ever is making a comeback with the publisher behind Manor Lords, and I'm ready to relive my Behemoth-collecting 2000s
Leon fighting an enemy during one of the best Xbox Series X games, Resident Evil 4 remake
Resident Evil Microsoft, EA, and other publishers should give up on artificial intelligence: We peaked 21 years ago, when Resident Evil 4 devs were thrilled AI enemies could think "like a smart person" by using "weapons, of course"
Key art for Alone in the Dark 1992, with the GamesRadar+ Horror Special badge
Survival Horror Games 33 years later, Alone in the Dark still deserves recognition as the survival horror that bridged the gap between Cthulhu and Resident Evil
Shinobi
Retro Retro Gamer magazine celebrates the history of Shinobi
 Battlefield Bad Company screenshot with two soldiers, one of which is pointing out a target to the second
Battlefield Battlefield 6 multiplayer is taking inspiration from Bad Company 2, but I hope its single player campaign looks further back to the series' best story
Mafia: The Old Country
Action Games Mafia: The Old Country's divisive linearity is telling me everything I need to know about action-adventure games in 2025, and it all comes back to Indiana Jones
Donkey Kong punching through rocks in Donkey Kong Bananza
Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza is the best Hulk game ever and makes me wish for the return of destruction-oriented sandboxes
Red Dead Online
Action Games Red Dead Online's role-play servers have clearly broken my brain, but I'm just happy to be saving the Wild West as a flamboyant gentlemen vigilante
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Action Games After Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, I'd like to play more famous characters in first-person and ditch the out-of-body butt-cam
Toxic Commando screenshot with GamesRadar+ Autumn Preview 2025 frame
FPS Games Left 4 Dead has held the horde shooter crown for 17 years, but John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is the best challenger yet
A close up of the ninja Yakumo in Ninja Gaiden 4.
Action Games Ninja Gaiden 4 devs say "Soulslikes have kind of taken center stage" since the last installment in the series, but "we are going against the trend in that way"
Helldivers 2 soldier watches a nuclear explosion in the distance with his arms stretched wide
Third Person Shooters The "tactical enthusiasm" of Helldivers 2 players, by which Arrowhead means catapulting Hellbombs at Leviathan ships, is now canon: "Innovative Leviathan hunting techniques have had a particularly outsized effect"
  1. Games
  2. Action

If old-school game heroes invaded modern games

Features
By David Houghton published 2 May 2013

Can't teach an old dog new tricks? Don't need to

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Blast from the past

Blast from the past

In the case of video game heroes, you don't need to teach an old dog new tricks. As games have become ever more emotional and realistic, we can't help feeling that their protagonists have become a tad watered down. It's not that there's' anything wrong with the new guys. Far from it. It's just that the heroes of the '80s and '90s had a certain more 'direct' approach to getting things done.

That in mind, we got to thinking about how the game heroes of old would handle the various nuanced challenges of modern video games. Turns out they'd do quite well. Very well, in fact. Well, most of them, anyway.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
Aero the Acrobat

Aero the Acrobat

Should appear in... Batman: Arkham City

Anything a Batman can do, an actual Bat can do better. Aero can run, jump, glide, dive attack, dive attack upwards, and unlike Batman, his wings are never going to fray after a long night's busting heads. In the original SNES and Mega Drive game, his mission objectives even included diving through mid-air hoops and smashing up arbitrary bits of the environment.

Consider the facts that his throwing stars are nothing if not proto-batarangs, he fights circus-themed enemies, and that he has an annoying, animal-named sidekick in the form of Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel and it's quite clear that the Arkham games are just one big rip-off of Aero's 1993 adventure.

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
Bill and Lance from Contra

Bill and Lance from Contra

Should appear in... Gears of War

The original Contra co-op gunbros would be a perfect fit for Gears of War. Okay, their starring appearance would bring the player cap back down to two, half of that of the recent games, but that's just as well. Even down on numbers, the appearance of Bill and Lance would make things horribly unfair on the Locust.

The simple fact is that fighting the COG has just not prepared the Grubs for these guys. Where the worst Marcus and crew could inflict was mid-range machine gun fire, slow-loading sniper shots, and the occasional burst of the Hammer of Dawn (when allowed to by the plot), Bill and Lance are a much more intimidating prospect. They can destroy an entire battlefield in seconds using the almighty Spread Gun. They've never hidden behind cover in their lives, despite going up against tougher odds than those of E-Day on a constant basis. Instead of waiting for a targeting satellite to align, their personal nukes mean they can take down a Berserker just by running up and hugging it. And who needs regenerating health when you have the Konami code?

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
Doomguy

Doomguy

Should appear in... Dead Space

Tactical dismemberment is a half-arsed solution compared to non-tactical evaporation of everything in the room into a fine red mist. Why shoot off a leg when you obliterate everything at the same time? And screw looking for power nodes to unlock treasure-filled rooms. Just keep pressing the action button along the walls and you'll find your way in no time.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog

Should appear in... Limbo

Giant spiders and physics puzzles are no hindrance when you can move at supersonic speeds. Also, few platforming protagonists are as well versed in dealing with cheap environmental hazards as Sonic. And those instant-death water traps later on would be no challenge at all as long as he could find a bubble in time. Pocket full of bubble wrap upon setting out, mission as good as completed. Job's a gud 'un.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
Ryu Hayabua (NES version)

Ryu Hayabua (NES version)

Should appear in... Modern, 3D Ninja Gaiden

Because there's no simpler way of evading enemy attacks and blending seamlessly into the shadows than actually being two dimensional.

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
Tyris Flare from Golden Axe

Tyris Flare from Golden Axe

Should appear in... Skyrim

This one is a no-brainer. Tyris is a hardy warrior-type, equally skilled with blade or magic. Okay, so her skimpy '90s 'armour' might prove an issue in the snowy climes of Skyrim, but the region is no stranger to heroes in ridiculously inappropriate clothing. The main point though, is that those dragons would be a pushover for Ms. Flare.

You see being the fire-magic user of Golden Axe's roster, her top-level spell allows her to summon an actual dragon of her own to lay waste to all, via the magical medium of skin-melting halitosis. Forget Fus Ro Dah. As long as she has enough potions in tow she can just kick back and beat up a few dwarves for loot while her own scaly wingman does the work.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
Bubsy the Bobcat

Bubsy the Bobcat

Should appear in... Hotline Miami

Okay, he'd be crap. We'll admit it. He's here for no other reason than that he already has an animal head and we want to see him busted against a wall until his entrails come out. After 21 years, he's still that annoying.

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
Extra expendables?

Extra expendables?

So that's our analysis of how the heroes of yesteryear would handle gaming in the modern climate. But are there any more you'd like to see party through current gaming like it's 1989? Let us know.

And while you're here, check out some of our related content. Try 2012: The year intelligent old-school gaming struck back and then maybe have a look at Video game characters' school report cards.

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation Xbox Platforms
PRODUCTS
Hotline Miami Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge Batman: Arkham City Limbo The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Dead Space 3 Gears of War: Judgment old school
David Houghton
David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.
See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
A screenshot of PUCK eating an enemy during the upcoming Xbox Series X game, Shadow Labyrinth.
The best retro remakes and reboots out there aren't afraid to get weird with it – as Shadow Labyrinth being a dark and gritty Pac-Man game shows us
A warrior overlooking ruins on a grassy field beneath a grey sky in Shadow of the Colossus
The games industry might be built on borrowed ideas, but new ones have to come from somewhere – even if Fumito Ueda says "the era of game mechanics is over"
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Onimusha: Way of the Sword director would much rather "express the clashing of blades" in a franchise revival than turn it into a Soulslike: "It certainly isn't a punishing die-and-retry game"
Heroes 3 screenshot
The greatest strategy RPG ever is making a comeback with the publisher behind Manor Lords, and I'm ready to relive my Behemoth-collecting 2000s
Leon fighting an enemy during one of the best Xbox Series X games, Resident Evil 4 remake
Microsoft, EA, and other publishers should give up on artificial intelligence: We peaked 21 years ago, when Resident Evil 4 devs were thrilled AI enemies could think "like a smart person" by using "weapons, of course"
Key art for Alone in the Dark 1992, with the GamesRadar+ Horror Special badge
33 years later, Alone in the Dark still deserves recognition as the survival horror that bridged the gap between Cthulhu and Resident Evil
Latest in Action
Batman Arkham
Former Assassin's Creed director who also worked on Arkham Origins joins Rocksteady, sparking more hopes for a new Batman game
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight: Silksong will have a free Nintendo Switch 2 edition upgrade at launch, meaning you don't have to pay extra to get the 120hz mode
Hideo Kojima in a screenshot from the Xbox and Bethesda 2022 showcase.
Hideo Kojima will give a "glimpse into future projects" at his "Beyond The Strand" anniversary event for Kojima Productions' 10th birthday this month
Kaser stands in front of a glowing blue background as the imprisoned dragon Lord Arena swirls behind him like a fish - key art from Lost Soul Aside used on the PlayStation store
Lost Soul Aside review: "We (don't) have Final Fantasy Versus 13 at home"
Valor Mortis
Ghostrunner devs abandon parkour for Valor Mortis, a first-person soulslike that might explain why the rest of the genre follows Dark Souls' lead
A screenshot of James Bond in 007 First Light's reveal trailer.
007 First Light is getting its own dedicated PlayStation State of Play this week, with "over 30 minutes of gameplay" including James Bond's "first mission as an MI6 recruit"
Latest in Features
Cropped key art for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles shows two characters stood side by side.
45 minutes of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles has me certain that Square Enix "rebuilding" the remaster after losing the original source code was worth the effort
Where Winds Meet hands-on preview
I played Where Winds Meet and fell in love with the RPG's open world so fast I could barely pay attention to any of the missions
Borderlands 4 screenshot shows someone holding a weapon forward towards the camera.
"We tend to commit to the bit": Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford talks Borderlands 4, the evolution of looter-shooters, and $80 game discourse
A mech firing a machine gun in the desert in Menace
Menace is an XCOM-Warhammer hybrid that makes turn-based strategy feel like an immersive sim, and for the first time in my life I'm playing a game that seems made for me
Metal Gear Solid 5 showing Snake and Ocelot looking to the horizon in front of more soldiers
10 years later, Metal Gear Solid 5 remains a masterpiece that was never going to live up to its own hype
Dogtooth
The new Yorgos Lanthimos movie is getting rave first reactions out of Venice Film Festival, but I think it's worth revisiting his breakout feature Dogtooth before Bugonia hits theaters this fall
  1. Kaser clad in black and Victor in white clash swords in Lost Soul Aside
    1
    Lost Soul Aside review: "We (don't) have Final Fantasy Versus 13 at home"
  2. 2
    Hell is Us review: "The lack of waypoints and explicit objectives is a double-edged magical sword that pulls me deep into its harsh world"
  3. 3
    Shuten Order review: "The Danganronpa creator's new multi-genre mystery feels like a forgotten DS cult classic I would have been obsessed with"
  4. 4
    The Rogue Prince of Persia review: "I roguelike but don't roguelove this freerunner – there's just not enough to stand out"
  5. 5
    Shinobi: Art of Vengeance review: "So close to being to a pitch-perfect revival of a classic series, but just can't quite line up the killing blow"
  1. Jacob Elordi as the monster in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein
    1
    Frankenstein review: "A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation"
  2. 2
    Weapons review: "A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian"
  3. 3
    The Fantastic Four: First Steps review: "An occasionally thrilling heroic adventure that sits safely within a B-tier MCU range"
  4. 4
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  5. 5
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  1. John Cena as Peacemaker holds a gun to the head of a different John Cena as Peacemaker in Peacemaker season 2.
    1
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."
  2. 2
    Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots"
  3. 3
    Alien: Earth review: "Arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens"
  4. 4
    King of the Hill season 14 review: "Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person"
  5. 5
    Eyes of Wakanda review: "A creative premise shortchanged by the runtime and Marvel bloat"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...