Recently, my washing machine had some mechanical issues (muffler belts, blinker fluid, that sort of thing), requiring me to travel a few blocks to the local laundromat to take care of the piles of clothing taking over the house. In so doing, we discovered both that our king-size blankets and comforters are much easier to handle in the industrial washer, and that there’s a Time Pilot machine hidden in the scary darkened back corner. The Widget also discovered that she loved the game (as well as Burger Time and Donkey Kong Jr), and kept asking me why they don’t bring it back for her Wii. Most of the time, “Dad Questions” get either an ‘I don’t know’ or a facetious response, but in this case, I utterly agree with the kid that the series needs to make a comeback, seein’ as how we’ve got three more decades to play with since the heyday of the original. This, in turn, begs a query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) also nurtures a soft spot for Starfox, even if I preferred to let my wingmen die and go it alone, asking: If you were given the choice, what video game or video game franchise would you reboot as The Next Big Thing?
12 Comments
I would reboot Galaxian. the side to side Breakout style space shooter. I think giving this game a 3D treatment would be pretty cool, kinda giving it that Starfox feeling.
I’d have to goI with MegaMan. I loved the old games as a kid and would love to see them redo it kinda as a 3rd person shooter with auto targeting style game.
So, you never played Megaman Legends then?
Earthbound.
Digimon. I’ve actually got this whole idea that involves elements of everything from the original Tamogatchi-like games to the various video games and some of the Japanese game machines they have that use special keycards and so on. Back when Digimon Season 3 (Digimon Tamers) came out, there was a toy digivice that could connect to the computer and I think there was even online capability. With the advances in technology and games since then, it surprises me that there isn’t something that is a combo of that and the Pokemon Dream World for Digimon yet, except a bit more advanced (somewhere between Dream World and an MMO).
Of course, I’d also like to see a revival (not a reboot) of Earthbound. Ideally I’d give the original games the Final Fantasy III treatment and update graphics without altering gameplay, then bring along a new chapter or three.
Or maybe even Joust (the old game where you rode around on a giant bird and tried to knock the other player off their giant bird in a twisted but awesome version of medieval jousting).
You do realize that you can now purchase little boxes to hook up to your TV that allow you to play many of the old NES and SNES and arcade classics again. I think you’ll find that most of those games don’t hold up so well any more once you get past the nostalgia factor (Hey, you DID say this was the Negative Nellie edition!).
That aside, there was a series of JRPGs that I loved that has gotten kicked aside by FF and DragonQuest. That was the Grandia series, each of which I loved except for the last one, after Square Enix got a hold of it and not only gave it the FFX treatment but upped the difficulty to the point where the last part of the game was virtually unbeatable, and since they also removed most of the charm and humor that was a trademark of the earlier games, I didn’t care enough about it to keep trying…
There was also an rpg for the PS1 that mixed in elements of a dating sim that was a flawed game but absolutely hilarious. The hero had to date girls in order to build up his abilities. One of the female villains talked in a voice that was a dead ringer for the actress who voiced Harley Quinn in Batman the Animated Series. I loved that game but I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it… but, hey, I’m old.
I would really like to see a properly done Jagged Alliance game made for the modern era. Jagged Alliance 2 is one of my all time favourites. Oh, and Tex Murphy detective games. Those were so much fun.
Ohh, JA2 is one of the best games of all time…YES! How amazing would it be to see a REAL sequel/reboot? I would kill for a Silent Storm style destructible world with realistic physics, but with the charm and wit of Jagged Alliance. Also, it would be nice to see one that is ACTUALLY turn-based.
Freedom Force, a thousand times Freedom Force! It’s my favorite game of all time, and it’s certainly the best superhero game I’ve ever seen. I would love to see it return for some time in the limelight.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Thousands of years of history and adventures to explore, but there are only 2 games both of which were hits. While Power of the Force is good, I would prefer if it didn’t drop down in the middle of the franchise that may still be explored in film.
I almost said something similar, but after TOR I’m a little burnt out. However, I think a similar game set roughly within the same timeframe but not directly related to that series (maybe even a few years earlier) would be pretty awesome.
Keeping on Slappy’s Star Wars theme:
The X-wing / Tie-fighter series. They were cutting edge with terrific stories at the time. Those were worth playing multiple times.