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The Blizzard Arcade Collection announced at BlizzConline, releases today

Three Blizzard classics are being compiled into the Blizzard Arcade Collection and the full package will be available later today.

Ozzie Mejia

February 19, 2021 2:13 PM

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While Blizzard is looking ahead to its future, the publisher also has a rich past to celebrate. That past goes beyond the usual staples like the Warcraft and StarCraft franchises. Think back farther to the days of The Lost Vikings, Rock N Roll Racing, and Blackthorne. Now imagine playing those games again, because that's exactly what Blizzard is offering with Friday's announcement of the Blizzard Arcade Collection.

The Blizzard Arcade Collection will feature updated versions of The Lost Vikings, Rock N Roll Racing, and Blackthorne. All of these games were originally published under publisher Interplay and developed by pre-Warcraft Blizzard. They'll feature various upgrades, which include custom key mapping and a rewind feature. Those who want the old-school experience, however, will have an option to play the original editions.

The Lost Vikings and Blackthorne will both offer a Watch Mode, which will let players watch a playthrough of the game and jump in to take control at any point. The two games will also support a save anywhere feature. And all three games will offer a digital museum filled with extras.

For those who are too young to remember these old Blizzard chestnuts, The Lost Vikings follows the stories of Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce, and Olaf the Stout as they seek to escape the Tormentor's intergalactic spaceship in a unique puzzle-platformer setting. Blackthorne is a platformer that follows the title character in a war against the Sarlac. And Rock N Roll Racing is just what it sounds like, as players take part in a unique racing game centered around beating opponents and blowing them up along the way.

The most interesting news item here is that The Blizzard Arcade Collection isn't just coming to PC. It's also going to release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Those who own a PS5 and Xbox Series X can run the collection via backwards compatibility. Best of all, it's going to be available later today. It'll sell for $19.99 USD on its own, but it'll also be included with the Blizzard 30-Year Celebration Collection.

We have much more to cover from this BlizzConline weekend. Stay tuned to Shacknews for the latest updates.

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Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?