What did you think of the brand new Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles season 2 episode "Hidden City's Most Wanted; Bad Hair Day" (#209)? Vote in the polls and sound off in the comments below!
A graphical comparison between 2003 and 2020 shows how far SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated has come since the PS2 days.
With the release of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated almost upon us, fans are starting to notice just how improved Nickelodeon's yellow sponge looks on current generation hardware. Published by THQ Nordic and developed by Purple Lamp Studios, Rehydrated brings the 2003 platformer into the modern era with updated graphics, improved gameplay, and a few sequences saved from the cutting room floor. The new release was first announced in June of last year during E3 2019, and it's one of many remastered and reimagined works put out by THQ Nordic in recent years. The strategy is part of an effort to reinvigorate the brand after THQ's closure in September of 2013. Now under new management, Rehydrated joins Destroy All Humans, Saints Row: The Third, Red Faction: Armageddon, and the Darksiders series on modern platforms and PC.
THQ Nordic first announced an intent to publish new and remastered works based on Nickelodeon characters back in 2018, mentioning titles based on everything from Invader Zim to El Tigre. When that news broke, many fans speculated that Battle for Bikini Bottom would be the first game to get the remastered treatment, as it is considered a great era-centric platformer despite its origins as a licensed kid's game.
That brings us to the comparison between the 2003 release and this month's remake. The good folks at IGN put together a video showing the two games running through similar scenarios, and the difference is plain to see. The world of Bikini Bottom has a distinct blur in the original game that's completely gone in the new release. Aspects of the backgrounds that were once plastered on textures are now fully 3D objects, and character models are far more complex. Everyone from Plankton to Patrick Star matches up much more to their television counterparts in both looks and animation, with dialogue making the game feel like it's a perfect recreation of the cartoon show.
One aspect of the comparison video that has garnered some criticism is the game's framerate, which looks less smooth than the original gameplay it's presented alongside. This doesn't seem to be a problem with other gameplay videos that have come out regarding Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated, so it could be an issue with the source recording used in the comparison. Developers at Purple Lamp Studios have vowed that the game is aiming for 60FPS on all platforms. This also goes for the game's new multiplayer component, a horde mode where SpongeBob and the gang have to fight mobs of robotic foes for as long as they can.
It's rare to see licensed games from the PlayStation 2 get such a welcomed upgrade on modern platforms, but we may see more of that as time goes on. Nostalgia is always a viable product, and the people who grew up on games like Halo: Combat Evolved, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and The Bouncer are now old enough to demand returns to their childhood. After all, SpongeBob celebrated its 20th-anniversary last year, and there are now fans of the property in many different age groups. The fact that such an impressive looking reimagining is afforded to a licensed property is even more astounding considering how many of those games get lost to the annals of time.
While many games from the '90s and noughties won't be getting a next-gen upgrade anytime soon, we can hope that the best games of each era can live on in this way, even if they included characters from other mediums.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated arrives on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on June 23, 2020. Purchase it here: https://rehydrated.thqnordic.com/#order-here
What did you think of the brand new Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles season 2 episode "Raph's Ride-Along; Donnie vs. Witch Town" (#208)? Vote in the polls and sound off in the comments below!
BOOM! STUDIOS ANNOUNCES POWER RANGERS AND LUMBERJANES FREE COMIC BOOK RELEASES RESCHEDULED FOR JULY AND AUGUST 2020
June 18, 2020
Discover the Beginning of Can’t-Miss New Epics Featuring the Power Rangers and Lumberjanes For Free
BOOM! Studios announced today the release dates for FCBD 2020 POWER RANGERS: RANGER SLAYER and FCBD 2020 LUMBERJANES: FAREWELL TO SUMMER, as part of the newly announced comic book industry event Free Comic Book Summer and both kicking off can’t-miss events in their respective series.
In FCBD 2020 POWER RANGERS: RANGER SLAYER, meet the Ranger Slayer – AKA Kimberly Hart, the Pink Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, from the alternate universe ruled by Lord Drakkon! Discover her full origin story, collected together for the first time with content from Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #9-12 and the exclusive short story from the sold-out Shattered Grid Deluxe Edition. This is the perfect jumping-on point for any new fan and the final page holds a surprise appearance that will lead to one of the biggest moments in Power Rangers history! Available in stores on July 15, 2020, one week before the release of Power Rangers: Ranger Slayer #1.
FCBD 2020 LUMBERJANES: FAREWELL TO SUMMER is an all-new free comic book special written and illustrated by acclaimed comics creators including Aubrey Aiese, Dozerdraws, Maarta Laiho, Casey Nowak, polterink, Sarah Stern, and co-creator and original Lumberjanes artist Brooklyn Allen, with a special preview of the historic Lumberjanes event, The End of Summer, which launches in Lumberjanes #73. Available on August 5, 2020, a month before the release of Lumberjanes #73.
“Get ready for the launch of not one but TWO brand new exciting new events from BOOM! Studios with free issues of Power Rangers and Lumberjanes to kick each storyline off in momentous fashion,” said Filip Sablik, President of Publishing & Marketing, BOOM! Studios. “We’re thrilled to bring the magic of Free Comic Book Day to comic shops throughout this summer with two of our biggest franchises, perfect to draw in new readers and in support of comic shops everywhere.”
Dan Mora/BOOM! Studios
Sarah Stern/BOOM! Studios
Print copies of FCBD 2020 POWER RANGERS: RANGER SLAYER and FCBD 2020 LUMBERJANES: FAREWELL TO SUMMER will be available for FREE exclusively at participating local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), in July and August 2020 respectively. Retailers will be able to adjust their previous orders for both FCBD 2020 POWER RANGERS: RANGER SLAYER and FCBD 2020 LUMBERJANES: FAREWELL TO SUMMER through the normal Final Order Cutoff process ahead of release.
