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Heh, don’t panic, this won’t be an mundane spoof on the ITV1 borefest featuring everyone’s favourite D-List celebrities, it’s actually an inventive title designed to make you click on the post (and it must have worked, because you’re reading, aren’t you?) Nope, this post has nothing to do with the jungle, or it’s inhabitants (but I can’t promise you that it won’t contain any Tony Blackburn-esque humour) – instead, it is dedicated to the games characters who never got that second crack at that elusive best selling game, the franchises you favoured that flopped, and the old classics that you wish will be updated but never are.
Let’s start by stating the obvious – some games will never be updated because they are pure, unadulterated pap. Games like Rise of the Robots, Carmageddon, Wheel of Fortune etc didn’t have any fans the first time round, so it’s unlikely they will attract any new fans the second time. Unfortunately, some developers *cough* 3DO, EA *cough* keep shoving the same games *cough* Amy Men, Fifa *cough* down our throats every six months. However, amongst this mire of mediocrity, past and present, there have been some absolute gems, classics that haven’t been revived for the next generations of consoles and are just waiting to be spruced up to delight a new breed of unexpecting gamers. For those that do remember, I’m sure there are those amongst who have at one time possessed a SNES or Mega Drive – think back to games like Streets of Rage etc, veritable goldmines just waiting to be plundered, polished, and pushed into the 21st Century.
The long time Sega fans amongst you will think back wistfully to NiGHTS, one of the most inventive, innovative games in ages, and still original today. Despite gaining critical acclaim from developers, journalists, and the games-playing public alike, a sequel has never been forthcoming. Rumours are abound of a GBA version, but rumours persisted of a Dreamcast version and that never materialised. Just think of what dreamlike, vivid environment could be created these days with the raw power of an Xbox or the graphical capabilities of a Gamecube. I know I’d much rather hold a brand spanking new copy of NiGHTs, or Streets of Rage, or Blast Corps, than I would a repackaged version of Space Invaders of Tetris. And anyway, who knows what the future holds? With Sega now a software company only, a next-gen NiGHTs must be in the offing soon…
And that’s not all. Rather than devote time and energy into releasing endless Sonic games, Sega have an excellent back catalogue full of old franchises just waiting to be cleaned and repackaged. Toe Jam and Earl is coming back, as is Panzer Dragoon, but what about two neglected games from the ‘Virtua’ series, ‘Cop’ and ‘Racing’? Of the former, House of the Dead and Confidential Mission are the only recognisable games of that genre, and if the lightgun peripheral is to be fully exploited, to the extent that even FPS could be played with a lightgun, Sega couldn’t go far wrong with a next-gen Virtua Cop update - fans of the old game, not to mention arcade junkies, would be a guaranteed user base for an old favourite. And a next gen Virtua Racing could be a viable alternative to Gran Turismo, especially if creator Yu Suzuki got ‘behind the wheel’ (told you there’d be corny jokes) on the project. If we had Sega and Sony battling it out to create the best racing game, there would only be one victor – us.
Enough of the classic old franchises. I’ve probably missed out loads, as everyone has their own favourites (feel free to point out what I’ve left out). But it’s not just classic franchises that have been neglected, what about the old games characters who are in line for a jazzed up new look? The dressing rooms backstage at Nintendo must be full of animosity and jealousy – Mario and Link seem to get all the attention. Those of you dedicated enough to get all the trophies in Smash Bros. Melee will know the sheer volume of characters Shigsy and pals have at their disposal. Wario is finally getting a go on the biggest stage, but what about Waluigi? A new Ice Climbers game? Talking of lightgun games, what about Duck Hunt? Kid Icarus? And spare a thought for poor Kirby – apart from a poor showing on the N64, he has had two games cancelled, first of all Kirby’s Air Ride, one of the first games to be proposed for the ‘Ultra 64’, and now Kirby has been dropped from the proposed Tilt and Tumble game to show off GBA’s tilt feature and GBA/GC connectivity. The poor gu..er…thing just can’t catch a break, can he?
The benefits of repackaging old game franchises and characters are palpable – whilst it’s not exactly the injection of originality some people are pining for, at least it’s a change from the usual stuff we are getting. I’m looking forward to Mario Sunshine as much as the next gamer, but I would love it if I could get my mitts on a next gen NiGHTS game (as you’ve probably realised by now, I liked NiGHTS. A lot.) Also, it could allow …ahem… the more ‘mature’ gamer to relive their misspent youth playing some of the old favourites. From a developers perspective, there is still a lot of creative licence left in these old games, and I’m sure that the games playing public would be more compelled to buy a game featuring someone barely used in games to the same tried and tested favourites, or even worse someone with no background history at all that the player doesn’t even care about. As you can see, there is still plenty left in the tank in some of these old characters and franchises. My message to the developers is this – why constantly go looking for the next bigger, better thing in gaming, when the old thing with plenty still to offer is sitting right under your noses?
Thanks for reading, Russ.
Let’s start by stating the obvious – some games will never be updated because they are pure, unadulterated pap. Games like Rise of the Robots, Carmageddon, Wheel of Fortune etc didn’t have any fans the first time round, so it’s unlikely they will attract any new fans the second time. Unfortunately, some developers *cough* 3DO, EA *cough* keep shoving the same games *cough* Amy Men, Fifa *cough* down our throats every six months. However, amongst this mire of mediocrity, past and present, there have been some absolute gems, classics that haven’t been revived for the next generations of consoles and are just waiting to be spruced up to delight a new breed of unexpecting gamers. For those that do remember, I’m sure there are those amongst who have at one time possessed a SNES or Mega Drive – think back to games like Streets of Rage etc, veritable goldmines just waiting to be plundered, polished, and pushed into the 21st Century.
The long time Sega fans amongst you will think back wistfully to NiGHTS, one of the most inventive, innovative games in ages, and still original today. Despite gaining critical acclaim from developers, journalists, and the games-playing public alike, a sequel has never been forthcoming. Rumours are abound of a GBA version, but rumours persisted of a Dreamcast version and that never materialised. Just think of what dreamlike, vivid environment could be created these days with the raw power of an Xbox or the graphical capabilities of a Gamecube. I know I’d much rather hold a brand spanking new copy of NiGHTs, or Streets of Rage, or Blast Corps, than I would a repackaged version of Space Invaders of Tetris. And anyway, who knows what the future holds? With Sega now a software company only, a next-gen NiGHTs must be in the offing soon…
And that’s not all. Rather than devote time and energy into releasing endless Sonic games, Sega have an excellent back catalogue full of old franchises just waiting to be cleaned and repackaged. Toe Jam and Earl is coming back, as is Panzer Dragoon, but what about two neglected games from the ‘Virtua’ series, ‘Cop’ and ‘Racing’? Of the former, House of the Dead and Confidential Mission are the only recognisable games of that genre, and if the lightgun peripheral is to be fully exploited, to the extent that even FPS could be played with a lightgun, Sega couldn’t go far wrong with a next-gen Virtua Cop update - fans of the old game, not to mention arcade junkies, would be a guaranteed user base for an old favourite. And a next gen Virtua Racing could be a viable alternative to Gran Turismo, especially if creator Yu Suzuki got ‘behind the wheel’ (told you there’d be corny jokes) on the project. If we had Sega and Sony battling it out to create the best racing game, there would only be one victor – us.
Enough of the classic old franchises. I’ve probably missed out loads, as everyone has their own favourites (feel free to point out what I’ve left out). But it’s not just classic franchises that have been neglected, what about the old games characters who are in line for a jazzed up new look? The dressing rooms backstage at Nintendo must be full of animosity and jealousy – Mario and Link seem to get all the attention. Those of you dedicated enough to get all the trophies in Smash Bros. Melee will know the sheer volume of characters Shigsy and pals have at their disposal. Wario is finally getting a go on the biggest stage, but what about Waluigi? A new Ice Climbers game? Talking of lightgun games, what about Duck Hunt? Kid Icarus? And spare a thought for poor Kirby – apart from a poor showing on the N64, he has had two games cancelled, first of all Kirby’s Air Ride, one of the first games to be proposed for the ‘Ultra 64’, and now Kirby has been dropped from the proposed Tilt and Tumble game to show off GBA’s tilt feature and GBA/GC connectivity. The poor gu..er…thing just can’t catch a break, can he?
The benefits of repackaging old game franchises and characters are palpable – whilst it’s not exactly the injection of originality some people are pining for, at least it’s a change from the usual stuff we are getting. I’m looking forward to Mario Sunshine as much as the next gamer, but I would love it if I could get my mitts on a next gen NiGHTS game (as you’ve probably realised by now, I liked NiGHTS. A lot.) Also, it could allow …ahem… the more ‘mature’ gamer to relive their misspent youth playing some of the old favourites. From a developers perspective, there is still a lot of creative licence left in these old games, and I’m sure that the games playing public would be more compelled to buy a game featuring someone barely used in games to the same tried and tested favourites, or even worse someone with no background history at all that the player doesn’t even care about. As you can see, there is still plenty left in the tank in some of these old characters and franchises. My message to the developers is this – why constantly go looking for the next bigger, better thing in gaming, when the old thing with plenty still to offer is sitting right under your noses?
Thanks for reading, Russ.
Ta muchly for the win, SR!
hmm great post and scarely realistic I'd check for a GAD tommorrow :D
That is a very well writen post there Russ, it is interesting too :)
Thanks for the good read.
Thanks for the good read.
Great post Russ!
Give this man another GAD!
:D
Give this man another GAD!
:D
In fairness though, unless the game has a very individual style to it, the old franchises really only offer a label. Just a pretext and a familiar face.
While some labels, such as mario and zelda, are immensly profitable, and synonimous with great games, if another old label won't actually shift (m)any copies of the game, the developer might as well start over, and just maybe make a new label that will be profitable in the process.
While some labels, such as mario and zelda, are immensly profitable, and synonimous with great games, if another old label won't actually shift (m)any copies of the game, the developer might as well start over, and just maybe make a new label that will be profitable in the process.
Heh, don’t panic, this won’t be an mundane spoof on the ITV1 borefest featuring everyone’s favourite D-List celebrities, it’s actually an inventive title designed to make you click on the post (and it must have worked, because you’re reading, aren’t you?) Nope, this post has nothing to do with the jungle, or it’s inhabitants (but I can’t promise you that it won’t contain any Tony Blackburn-esque humour) – instead, it is dedicated to the games characters who never got that second crack at that elusive best selling game, the franchises you favoured that flopped, and the old classics that you wish will be updated but never are.
Let’s start by stating the obvious – some games will never be updated because they are pure, unadulterated pap. Games like Rise of the Robots, Carmageddon, Wheel of Fortune etc didn’t have any fans the first time round, so it’s unlikely they will attract any new fans the second time. Unfortunately, some developers *cough* 3DO, EA *cough* keep shoving the same games *cough* Amy Men, Fifa *cough* down our throats every six months. However, amongst this mire of mediocrity, past and present, there have been some absolute gems, classics that haven’t been revived for the next generations of consoles and are just waiting to be spruced up to delight a new breed of unexpecting gamers. For those that do remember, I’m sure there are those amongst who have at one time possessed a SNES or Mega Drive – think back to games like Streets of Rage etc, veritable goldmines just waiting to be plundered, polished, and pushed into the 21st Century.
The long time Sega fans amongst you will think back wistfully to NiGHTS, one of the most inventive, innovative games in ages, and still original today. Despite gaining critical acclaim from developers, journalists, and the games-playing public alike, a sequel has never been forthcoming. Rumours are abound of a GBA version, but rumours persisted of a Dreamcast version and that never materialised. Just think of what dreamlike, vivid environment could be created these days with the raw power of an Xbox or the graphical capabilities of a Gamecube. I know I’d much rather hold a brand spanking new copy of NiGHTs, or Streets of Rage, or Blast Corps, than I would a repackaged version of Space Invaders of Tetris. And anyway, who knows what the future holds? With Sega now a software company only, a next-gen NiGHTs must be in the offing soon…
And that’s not all. Rather than devote time and energy into releasing endless Sonic games, Sega have an excellent back catalogue full of old franchises just waiting to be cleaned and repackaged. Toe Jam and Earl is coming back, as is Panzer Dragoon, but what about two neglected games from the ‘Virtua’ series, ‘Cop’ and ‘Racing’? Of the former, House of the Dead and Confidential Mission are the only recognisable games of that genre, and if the lightgun peripheral is to be fully exploited, to the extent that even FPS could be played with a lightgun, Sega couldn’t go far wrong with a next-gen Virtua Cop update - fans of the old game, not to mention arcade junkies, would be a guaranteed user base for an old favourite. And a next gen Virtua Racing could be a viable alternative to Gran Turismo, especially if creator Yu Suzuki got ‘behind the wheel’ (told you there’d be corny jokes) on the project. If we had Sega and Sony battling it out to create the best racing game, there would only be one victor – us.
Enough of the classic old franchises. I’ve probably missed out loads, as everyone has their own favourites (feel free to point out what I’ve left out). But it’s not just classic franchises that have been neglected, what about the old games characters who are in line for a jazzed up new look? The dressing rooms backstage at Nintendo must be full of animosity and jealousy – Mario and Link seem to get all the attention. Those of you dedicated enough to get all the trophies in Smash Bros. Melee will know the sheer volume of characters Shigsy and pals have at their disposal. Wario is finally getting a go on the biggest stage, but what about Waluigi? A new Ice Climbers game? Talking of lightgun games, what about Duck Hunt? Kid Icarus? And spare a thought for poor Kirby – apart from a poor showing on the N64, he has had two games cancelled, first of all Kirby’s Air Ride, one of the first games to be proposed for the ‘Ultra 64’, and now Kirby has been dropped from the proposed Tilt and Tumble game to show off GBA’s tilt feature and GBA/GC connectivity. The poor gu..er…thing just can’t catch a break, can he?
The benefits of repackaging old game franchises and characters are palpable – whilst it’s not exactly the injection of originality some people are pining for, at least it’s a change from the usual stuff we are getting. I’m looking forward to Mario Sunshine as much as the next gamer, but I would love it if I could get my mitts on a next gen NiGHTS game (as you’ve probably realised by now, I liked NiGHTS. A lot.) Also, it could allow …ahem… the more ‘mature’ gamer to relive their misspent youth playing some of the old favourites. From a developers perspective, there is still a lot of creative licence left in these old games, and I’m sure that the games playing public would be more compelled to buy a game featuring someone barely used in games to the same tried and tested favourites, or even worse someone with no background history at all that the player doesn’t even care about. As you can see, there is still plenty left in the tank in some of these old characters and franchises. My message to the developers is this – why constantly go looking for the next bigger, better thing in gaming, when the old thing with plenty still to offer is sitting right under your noses?
Thanks for reading, Russ.
Let’s start by stating the obvious – some games will never be updated because they are pure, unadulterated pap. Games like Rise of the Robots, Carmageddon, Wheel of Fortune etc didn’t have any fans the first time round, so it’s unlikely they will attract any new fans the second time. Unfortunately, some developers *cough* 3DO, EA *cough* keep shoving the same games *cough* Amy Men, Fifa *cough* down our throats every six months. However, amongst this mire of mediocrity, past and present, there have been some absolute gems, classics that haven’t been revived for the next generations of consoles and are just waiting to be spruced up to delight a new breed of unexpecting gamers. For those that do remember, I’m sure there are those amongst who have at one time possessed a SNES or Mega Drive – think back to games like Streets of Rage etc, veritable goldmines just waiting to be plundered, polished, and pushed into the 21st Century.
The long time Sega fans amongst you will think back wistfully to NiGHTS, one of the most inventive, innovative games in ages, and still original today. Despite gaining critical acclaim from developers, journalists, and the games-playing public alike, a sequel has never been forthcoming. Rumours are abound of a GBA version, but rumours persisted of a Dreamcast version and that never materialised. Just think of what dreamlike, vivid environment could be created these days with the raw power of an Xbox or the graphical capabilities of a Gamecube. I know I’d much rather hold a brand spanking new copy of NiGHTs, or Streets of Rage, or Blast Corps, than I would a repackaged version of Space Invaders of Tetris. And anyway, who knows what the future holds? With Sega now a software company only, a next-gen NiGHTs must be in the offing soon…
And that’s not all. Rather than devote time and energy into releasing endless Sonic games, Sega have an excellent back catalogue full of old franchises just waiting to be cleaned and repackaged. Toe Jam and Earl is coming back, as is Panzer Dragoon, but what about two neglected games from the ‘Virtua’ series, ‘Cop’ and ‘Racing’? Of the former, House of the Dead and Confidential Mission are the only recognisable games of that genre, and if the lightgun peripheral is to be fully exploited, to the extent that even FPS could be played with a lightgun, Sega couldn’t go far wrong with a next-gen Virtua Cop update - fans of the old game, not to mention arcade junkies, would be a guaranteed user base for an old favourite. And a next gen Virtua Racing could be a viable alternative to Gran Turismo, especially if creator Yu Suzuki got ‘behind the wheel’ (told you there’d be corny jokes) on the project. If we had Sega and Sony battling it out to create the best racing game, there would only be one victor – us.
Enough of the classic old franchises. I’ve probably missed out loads, as everyone has their own favourites (feel free to point out what I’ve left out). But it’s not just classic franchises that have been neglected, what about the old games characters who are in line for a jazzed up new look? The dressing rooms backstage at Nintendo must be full of animosity and jealousy – Mario and Link seem to get all the attention. Those of you dedicated enough to get all the trophies in Smash Bros. Melee will know the sheer volume of characters Shigsy and pals have at their disposal. Wario is finally getting a go on the biggest stage, but what about Waluigi? A new Ice Climbers game? Talking of lightgun games, what about Duck Hunt? Kid Icarus? And spare a thought for poor Kirby – apart from a poor showing on the N64, he has had two games cancelled, first of all Kirby’s Air Ride, one of the first games to be proposed for the ‘Ultra 64’, and now Kirby has been dropped from the proposed Tilt and Tumble game to show off GBA’s tilt feature and GBA/GC connectivity. The poor gu..er…thing just can’t catch a break, can he?
The benefits of repackaging old game franchises and characters are palpable – whilst it’s not exactly the injection of originality some people are pining for, at least it’s a change from the usual stuff we are getting. I’m looking forward to Mario Sunshine as much as the next gamer, but I would love it if I could get my mitts on a next gen NiGHTS game (as you’ve probably realised by now, I liked NiGHTS. A lot.) Also, it could allow …ahem… the more ‘mature’ gamer to relive their misspent youth playing some of the old favourites. From a developers perspective, there is still a lot of creative licence left in these old games, and I’m sure that the games playing public would be more compelled to buy a game featuring someone barely used in games to the same tried and tested favourites, or even worse someone with no background history at all that the player doesn’t even care about. As you can see, there is still plenty left in the tank in some of these old characters and franchises. My message to the developers is this – why constantly go looking for the next bigger, better thing in gaming, when the old thing with plenty still to offer is sitting right under your noses?
Thanks for reading, Russ.