Wednesday, July 10, 2013

15 Games That Need A Reboot

2013 is the Summer of game reboots.  We are seeing reboots of Duck Tales, Ninja Turtles and Killer Instinct.  These games give us hope that some of the more creative retro games will get their chance as well.  Here's 15 games that would make awesome reboots (but probably won't get it).

15.  Bloody Roar



Published: 1998
Publisher: Hudson
Reason:  This franchise lost most of its audience after the 4th sequel tanked hard.  It was an arcade fighter that lived off the mechanic that your fighter can transform into a vicious animal.  The idea behind the game is fundamentally sound, but it has been ruined by companies that could not compete with  Tekken or Virtua Fighter.


Re-envisioned:  This game could look beautiful in HD.  Maybe it would be better as a party fighter.


14. Maniac Mansion


Published: 1987
Publisher:  Lucasfilm
Reason: This game was genius in its heyday.  Being an adventure point-and-click with whacky blue alien humor and multiple endings, this game has a story that can charm even the pickiest gamer.

Re-Envisioned:  Add a few horror survival elements, keep the whacky story and make it a digital download.

13. Bart Vs. The  Space Mutants

Published: 1991
Publisher: Acclaim
Reason:  The Simpsons' first game was a bit obscure.  You played Bart Simpson who had to fight space mutants by getting rid of things colored red.  By all respects, it had nothing to do with the sitcom cartoon, but merely an action cash in for the younger boys who watched it (similar to every horrible game Family Guy releases).

Re-Envisioned: Today, the game would be considered hip and innovative.  Imagine an updated version of this game where you have to use modern puzzles to turn a town a different color.  It would be an indie masterpiece that belongs right next to the De Blob.

12. Desert Falcon
Published:1984
Publisher: Atari
Reason:  This was a flight shooter that put forth a good effort to be mission based.  Following in the tradition of Warhawk, Desert Falcon could have easily been the top war game of the Atari.

Re-Envisioned:  Add a stellar war story about desert warfare, update the missions and tack on a multiplayer component and you could have a flight arcade game that all the college kids are buying.

11.  Metal Storm
Metal Storm
 Published: 1990
 Publisher: Irem
 Reason: Metal Storm still ranks as my favorite sci-fi Nintendo   game.  Why?  Because you are a huge war mech that uses gravity to solve puzzles and destroy your enemies.  Gravity manipulation is still a gameplay mechanic that many games are afraid to use.  Mechwarrior ain't got nothing on this.

Re-Envisioned:  Make it a 3rd person, over the shoulder combat game.  Add a post apocalyptic war zone with anime inspired weapons.  Keep the gravity puzzles and play mechanics to give the game a Half-Life appeal.

10. BlackThorne


Published: 1994
Publisher: Interplay

Reason: BlackThorne was the Patrick Swayze of video game bad dudes.  He carried around a shotgun in the coal mines of a mutant infested area and blew away anything that moved.  This game was also famous for having the first duck and cover system for battle.  BlackThorne would be a welcome member of The Gears of War band and probably kick the living junk out of Duke Nukem.

Re-Envisioned:  Either 2D or 3D, keep the shotgun toting hero of the mines in the game and you will have a great throwback. 

9. Beyond Oasis
Published: 1994
Publisher:  Sega
Reason:  Style and comic book graphics put this game into a class that I truly believe had Zelda beaten.  Your hero, Ali, could combo with sword attacks, collect different spirits to fight and the boss battles were huge.  Carrying huge potential in Sega's golden age there is no reason why this game should have ended after the Sega Saturn.

Re-Envisioned:  All it really needs is an HD spitshine, a new story and a whole slew of dungeons and the game could fit in with any action role-playing game today.

8. Eternal Champions
Published: 1993
Publisher: Sega

Reason:  It is Mortal Kombat with a lot more class and style.  The only problem was that the game was too hard and moves were almost impossible to master.  This game was breakthrough because it had a gritty noir/sci fi design in its levels.  It also had fatalities that would have made 90's Nintendo cry.

Re-Envisioned:  If Killer Instinct can be rebooted then there is definitely room for this game.  Just make the difficulty and moves way easier.

7. Killing Time
Published:1995
Publisher: 3D0

Reason:  It might seem like a huge Doom clone, but Killing Time had 2 things going for it.  1) It had FMV story telling that gave it real characters. 2) It had one huge adventure level like Half-Life.  If the 3D0 was not so obscure and expensive, this could have been the Bioshock Infinite of the 90's.

Re-Envisioned:  An open world adventure FPS that involves 1920's weapons, ghosts and killer horrors?  I think there is room in today's market for that.

6. Geist

Published:  2005
Publisher: Nintendo

Reason:  I miss the Gamecube.  This was back when Nintendo was trusted by 3rd party companies and other companies wanted to try out new franchises.  You did not have to go to Halo to get a good shooter and you did not have to go to Final Fantasy to get a good RPG.  Geist was Nintendo's personal sci-fi shooter.  It was your average point and shoot, but the kicker was that you had to inhabit the body of npc's in order to solve puzzles and beat bosses.  This game is the first shooter where puzzle solving was actually more fun than the shooting levels.  It wasn't a Halo killer, but it had potential to be its own trilogy.

Re-Envisioned:  This game could have been a success and today's better understanding of the FPS genre ensures that Nintendo would get it right.  Add some tight shooting mechanics, deeper warfare elements, keep the innovative puzzle layout and upgrade the multiplayer to today's standards.  It would at least be better than Blacklight: Tango Down.

5. Spider-Man: The Video Game:
Published: 1991
Publisher: Sega

Reason:  If you sat down some developers and gave them the mission of making the Spider-Man franchise character rich, graphically appealing and fun to play they would come out with this game.  You played as Black Cat, Namor, Hawk Eye or Spider-Man and performed beat'em up combos on thugs.  The second half of the game turned into a 2D shooter where your character had to jump from building to building shooting bad guys.  This game put the X-Men arcade game to shame.

Re-Envisioned:  Make it a 3D beat'em up with great voice acting from heroes.  Then add some of the most epic villains in the game.  Keep all the rest and you will have a way better game than Spider-Man: Friend or Foe.

4. Brutal: Paws of Fury
Published: 1994
Publisher: Gametek

Reason:  I still prefer to live in a world where this game got all the sequels that Street Fighter got.  You have some bad astronaut cartoon animals that have "don't mess with me" written all over their kung-fu.  Unfortunately, this game was made before developers understood how thumbs worked.  The moves were too hard to complete.  I don't see any scenario where making MMA type urban animals fight each other with Street Fighter moves is a bad idea.

Re-Envisioned:  Make an HD version of the game, tweak the gameplay for today's standards, add a few fighters, simplify the moves a ton and make it a $10 download for XBLA.  Sold!

3. The Immortal
Published: 1990
Publisher: Electronic Arts

Reason:  I was afraid of this game as a child because of the way the wizard cut open demon enemies.  Now I see this game as a Skyrim/Survival Horror hybrid.  You played an unnamed wizard who walks around a punishing dungeon, looking for goblins to chop open.

Re-Envisioned:  If you were to add a First Person view, add a dash of some skill building and customization, I could see the idea of playing a violent wizard in a dark dungeon as a highly playable game.

2. Power Move Pro Wrestling
Published:  1996
Publisher: Activision

Reason:  Before the WWE scared away all competition in wrestling games, there were some creative fiction wrestling games that were highly playable.  Power Move had horrible graphics, limited moves and your player never got up after they were knocked down...but the ambitious style and the faithfulness to pro wrestling lore made it a ton of fun to experience (as long as you were winning).  In 1996 most wrestling games were arcade beat'em ups, but Power Move was a full 3D adventure with real wrestling thematics.  It was too ahead of its time. 

Re-Envisioned:  If the game industry isn't petrified to make a non WWE wrestling game than I suggest making this game over from head to toe.  You could restart that rematch between Egyptian Conniption or Malibu Mike.

1.  Clayfighter
Published: 1993
Publisher: Interplay

Reason:  In 1993 there was a game made entirely out of clay (the cel-shading alternative).  It promised humor, killer moves, a talking snow man and a blob that could turn into a saw blade.  Even the intro to the game had a theme song.  There was never a game with so much humor and off-the-wall zaniness like Clayfighter.  Even though it was not well received on the N64, it definitely has value now that we have games that can handle humor and theatrics.

Re-Envisioned:  Keep it 2D, keep it funny and make it beautiful.  That is all you really need to do.