2025-11-16 14:01
I remember the first time I walked into Gamezone PH back in 2019 - the neon lights reflecting off polished gaming stations, the distant clicks of mechanical keyboards, and that distinctive new-electronics smell mixed with the faint aroma of energy drinks. It was during their annual retro gaming week, and I found myself drawn to a corner where two games were being showcased side by side: Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Remastered and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind. The contrast between these two revived classics couldn't have been more striking, yet both represented exactly why places like Gamezone PH matter to our gaming community.
As I settled into one of Gamezone PH's comfortable gaming chairs, the staff member running the demo explained something that's stuck with me ever since. "It can sometimes be tough to appreciate games from the past because so much of game design is built on iteration," he said, gesturing toward the Soul Reaver display. "That isn't a problem with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered though." He wasn't wrong - within minutes of picking up the controller, I was struck by how remarkably well these games hold up despite their age. Sure, there are archaic elements to both games, yet it's surprising just how well they hold up today. The improvements to the game's controls and, to a lesser extent, their visuals definitely contribute to this, but the main reason they persevere is because of their masterful melding of story, worldbuilding, and mechanics with a handful of innovative ideas. Much like Raziel himself, this isn't a perfect revival, but it preserves a pair of classic games and, in an ideal world, will attract a new audience to a series that has been dormant for far too long. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of its resurgence.
What struck me most during that afternoon at Gamezone PH was how different these two remasters approached their legacy. While Soul Reaver felt like a careful preservation project, Rita's Rewind took me right back to 1993, sitting cross-legged on my grandmother's floral-patterned carpet with a bowl of sugary cereal. When the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers emerged as many Americans' first exposure to the popular Super Sentai series back then, it was hard not to feel like it was riding the wave of Turtle-mania that defined the early 1990s. After all, it was a band of color-coordinated heroes who traded gentle quips and used martial arts to dispatch endless faceless baddies. I watched MMPR at the time, but I was also just cresting the age at which I felt a little embarrassed by its undeniable camp.
Three decades later, playing Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind at Gamezone PH once again feels a bit like it's riding the turtles' coattails. TMNT: Shredder's Revenge was an excellent retro brawler throwback, and by comparison, Rita's Rewind is a pretty good retro brawler throwback, but one with some of its own special charms - as well as its own frustrations. The game captures that specific early-90s energy perfectly, though I found myself wishing the developers had taken more creative risks rather than playing it so safe.
Between gaming sessions, I struck up a conversation with the Gamezone PH manager, who shared some interesting statistics about their customer preferences. Apparently, retro remasters account for nearly 40% of their weekend traffic, with particular spikes when games like these get released. "People want that hit of nostalgia," he explained, "but they also want the convenience of modern gaming platforms. That's why we've dedicated 15 of our 50 stations specifically to classic games and their modern iterations."
What keeps me coming back to Gamezone PH, beyond their impressive collection of over 200 games across various generations, is how they curate these experiences. They understand that gaming isn't just about the latest graphics or most complex mechanics - it's about connection. Connection to our past selves, to cultural moments, to stories that shaped our understanding of what games could be. Both Soul Reaver and Power Rangers represent different facets of this connection. One offers a dark, complex narrative that still feels revolutionary today, while the other delivers pure, unapologetic fun straight from our childhood Saturday mornings.
I've probably spent about 75 hours at Gamezone PH over the past year, and what continues to impress me is how they balance celebration of gaming history with excitement for its future. They've created spaces where you can equally appreciate the nuanced storytelling of Legacy of Kain and the simple joy of morphing into a Power Ranger to fight rubber-suited monsters. In an age where gaming can sometimes feel isolating, there's something profoundly comforting about sharing these experiences with others who understand why these characters and worlds matter.
As I left that evening, the city lights beginning to glitter outside Gamezone PH's windows, I realized that places like this do more than just provide entertainment. They preserve our collective gaming memory while helping create new ones. Whether you're discovering Raziel's tragic quest for the first time or reliving your childhood through the Power Rangers, the ultimate gaming experience at Gamezone PH isn't just about the games themselves - it's about the stories we attach to them, and the new stories we create while playing them.