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Posted By Shaun K. about 4 months ago
Thumb Wars: Episode 24: Night of the Dormant Games,
Episode 24: Night of the Dormant Games
Welcome back to the show where we introduce the debate and you continue it. This week’s topic: Shaun & Justin ‘JewWario’ Carmical tackle the topic of dormant game franchises they’d like to see make a comeback.
Thumb Wars is a weekly show hosted/produced by Shaun Kronenfeld dedicated to starting and encouraging dialogue and debate on a wide variety of topics within the video game industry. Look for a new Thumbs Wars every Sunday. Comments, opinions, and thoughts are not only welcome, they are the entire point. Feel free to follow Shaun on Twitter @bigred_13 if you feel so inclined.
I’ve thought about this before, and one old franchise I’d love to see return is Jet Moto, one of Sony’s old PS1 go-to games. I think the hi-def era could serve well to make a pretty awesome game, both in look and feel, and I think the market could do with a few more out-there and ridiculous sorts of racers that don’t involve kart racing with mascot characters. Hovering jet-bikes, what’s not to love?
EA-Criterion would be a good fit for this, I think. You’d want the fluid rotation for air tricks like SSX, combined with the raw speed and potential for hijinks of a game like Burnout, and the crazy environments of both
Beyond that, just taking a glance at my own personal game collection from the NES days on up, I’d also like to include:
-Blaster Master
-Battletoads (done with PROPER DIFFICULTY EXPECTATIONS in mind ~_^)
-Space Harrier
and
-Legaia
I would love to see a sequel to Radiata Stories. It is , in my opinion, a very underrated game that deserves more praise. I know it’s not a perfect game but it’s ridiculously fun to play.
I like Jack Rusell, the main protagonist. He is really goofy and seems to be very dumb. He can even be grating at times, but he is young and sheltered and he grows a lot throughout the game. He dialogue is hilarious, especially the banter with Ridley, another important character .
The story seems very light-hearted and slapstick-y at first but it quickly changes into something more serious. I also love that the decisions you make really change story, characters who stay with you and the ending you get.
Even if it’s not a direct sequel, I’d really like something in the same style. The amount of detail added to the world makes it feel very real. I especially love the day and night cycle with all the abundant side characters having a schedule, moving about the city and doing various things throughout the day. It is fun to recruit lots of different people for your party. The map may be small but everything is interconnected ; you can literally walk from one end of the map to the other. And I like the simple little facts like when you change armor, you really see it on your character.
AND THE KICKING! The simple feature of kicking things to get items or people to get in a duel is hilarious and addicting.
I’d like to see a New Spyro Game that continues on the story after Spyro 3 for the PS1 (and I know that Enter the Dragonfly was the actual follow up, but I’d prefer to ignore that and start fresh.), involving a few new abilities for Spyro and maybe Sparx, bring back the other playable character: Shiela, Sgt Byrd, Bentley and Agent 9, and revisit some of the older levels, while having some decent boss fights, and a great new villain, rather than rehashing Gnasty Gnorc or Ripto.
But since that is very unlikely to happen, I’d to at least see the characters from spyro 2 and 3 in skylanders. I would buy a new PS3, a copy of skylanders and all of those models right now if they did that.
The other thing I’d like to see is a reboot of Crash Bandicoot. Keeping some of the characters like Nina, and I guess Crunch, is ok, but it would need to be the old gameplay style with a decent story and varied levels and boss battles. If that’s impossible, Activision needs to let go of the rights to Crash, because they are earning nothing from this character, and any other kind of game involving him will either be terrible or it won’t sell very well. Give him back to Sony so he can be in All Stars Battle Royal.
On that subject, Jen from “Primal”, Jade from “Beyond Good and Evil”, Kya from “Kya: Dark Lineage”, Vexx, Scaler, and the main character from “I-Ninja” all need to be placed in All Stars too. Perhaps include a Final Fantasy character as well?
Beyond Good and Evil 2 wouldn’t be too much to ask on top of that now too would it? Or a new Sonic game that doesn’t suck…
Also: (Last one here…) CROC. And Tombi. But mostly Croc. These guys got 2 PS1 games and were then left in the dust. Why?! In this day and age, we could use colourful, non-talking characters like these two. I mean, it’s a Crocodile fighting Demons with his tail.
Am I the only one who couldn’t watch past the halfway point? It just crashed. Why is it that I always have trouble watching videos at this site?
Anyway, the franchise I’d really like to see a return to is Breath of Fire. As long as they return to its original style instead of the travesty that was BOF V: Dragon Quarter.
1. Threads of Fate/Dewprism. Square-Enix really needs to revisit this series.
2. Quest (64). I think THQ had this one, and well…
3. Banjo Kazooie. Rareware ;_;
4. Starfox
5. Beyond Good & Evil
I would LOVE to see a new Gargoyles Quest game. I wish they would rerelease the old ones at least.
Legend of Dragoon would be nice to see again. The ending kind of set it up for a squeal with two dragoons being left behind. Then again they could always do a Prequeal.
I do agree with Chrono Trigger. I did enjoy Chrono Cross also but the death of people if you didn’t get to them in time annoyed me a little.
I want Syberia 3 to FINALLY be released.
I’d like to see more from the people who made Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. They were really talented, but we haven’t seen anything from them for oh….7 or 8 years.
…….What’s that? Last Guardian? I say we haven’t “seen more” from Team Ico until it hits the shelves. I understand you can’t rush art, but they could at least give us consistent status updates…
Whenever I hear about “The Last Guardian”, I pray that it doesn’t get canceled, and I also hope it doesn’t go to development hell, and when it finally gets released, it turns out to be a major disappointment like what happened to Duke Nukem Forever.
Hmm. Favorite video game series I would like to see RETURN. I suppose I’m cheating a little bit because all these TECHNICALLY have games for the current generation, but they should be mentioned.
1. Perfect Dark. PD:0 was so close to a good game, except it was laughably ABOMINABLY written. A remake, reboot, sequel, whatever, I’d take it. This series is just such a unique FPS it’s a shame it’s been shelved while FPS’s storm the market, let alone after only two games.
To make the irony even worse, after playing PD:0 I can tell you…Bioshock copied parts of PD:0′s art style to make Rapture. That’s how much potential Rare’s shelved.
2. Tenchu. Yeah, yeah, we probably haven’t seen the last Tenchu game, but one per console is spreading things kinda thin. I haven’t gotten to play one in…forever. And, as a side-note, Tenchu 2 really REALLY should be a PSOne Classic.
3. “Parasite Eve.” I put PE in quotes because it will never be called that ever again: the novelist who wrote the book “Parasite Eve” pulled the license to it and all of his works when PE:3 was in the middle of production. He ripped the Parasite Eve name off the label, caused all manner of chaos in the script itself, and cast the unfinished game into development hell for something like five years until someone slapped the remnants together and made 3rd Birthday.
So yeah, there’s a reason 3rd Birthday sucked.
Still, when you look at all the material that *DOES* belong to Square Enix you’d be amazed. Just about all the characters and events in America, Aya, Kyle, Eve, the Shelter…there’s plenty of material left for a good game. It’s really, REALLY sad to see the “PE” series go out on such a horribly sour note.
Ack! Mentioning Bioshock here reminded me of one I missed…
I’d love an honest to God System Shock 3 ._.
I really would.
The franchise I would kill to see a sequel to is Drakan. It boggles my mind how that series didn’t catch on, considering how popular dragons are. The only other dragon riding games I can think of are Lair, Eragon and Drakengard and it makes me cringe just saying their names.
The PS2 sequel and to an extent the original on the PC was one of the early 3D open world games. With a dragon at your disposal the sky was literally the limit and you could explore to find a ton of enemy camps, dungeons and sidequests.
The PS2 game utilized pretty precise hitboxes and they were used perfectly to implement dodge and parry mechanics, which seem to challenge developers even today. The character progressions system was a bit shallow but otherwise gameplay was fun.
The setting and backstory of the world and the interactions between the protagonist and her dragon partner were interesting as well.
All in all, after making this and the Suffering, Surreal Software really didn’t deserve to go under. According to wikipedia their franchises are currently owned by Warner bros, though I doubt they are even aware of it. Who knows, maybe with the recent resurgence of 10 year old games…
“The only other dragon riding games I can think of are Lair, Eragon and Drakengard”
*Ahem* Panzer Dragoon anyone? Which, depending on how one counts Crimson Dragon, is itself rife for a return to glory.
That was actually on purpose. I only mentioned games that had more recent release dates than the one I was talking about.
Also, since Drakan was an open world game and Panzer Dragoon were for the most part rail shooters, they felt like a different type of game from what I was trying to talk about. With the exception of Eragon, which I was on the verge of not including, the other 2 gave you at least some degree of ability to fly around on your own.
I googled Crimson Dragon and the first thing I saw was “requires Kinect” *shiver*.
Out of the ones you guys talked about, Dark Cloud is the one I want to see comeback, I loved the second game, and recently went back and finished the first game after quitting early on being unimpressed, and it doesn’t hold up in comparison, and now they could so much more with that world and formula, maybe finding a way to better incorporate all of your abilities while keeping the random factor.
Other series I want back are, Legend of Dragoon, Breath of Fire, Starfox, Jak and Daxter(under Naughty Dog).
Gex. Love the idea of having character that could climb any wall in the 1st game. Like previous games it would have levels that parodies TV series, movies, anime and games like Gamme of Thrones, Adventure Time and other pop cultures except more creatively designed than previous games. level designs that become more challenging as you progress like the 1st. Also have the unique levels in 2/3 to add variety like the bonus level where Gex turns into Godzilla and you to have beat mechazilla with breakable buildings.
Totally agree, come on, Crystal Dynamics, bring back Gex!
I’d go with either Crash Bandicoot or Ape Escape, but, to be more realistic I’m gonna go with Ape Escape, since Crash Bandicoot is a lost cause by this point, being a dead IP owned by Activision and all.
And when I say “Ape Escape”, I’m talking about a classic 3D platformer, and not a Party game or an RPG, the last Ape Escape game was a generic PS Move game that I simply ignored in disappointment, and the last true Ape Escape game was released 7 years ago.
If Sony wanna compete against Nintendo, they’re gonna need more than just gimmicky peripherals, they have a great range of IPs like Jak & Daxter, and MediEvil, and so on, we need to see more classic pltformers make a comeback.
Edit: and no, Ratchet & Clank, and Sly Cooper are not enough.
Considering Naughty Dog is still active, their returning to Crash Bandicoot is at least theoretically possible.
As for your list, add Spyro the Dragon (yes, I know it’s not going to happen, because Skylanders) and I’m in complete agreement.
I would really want to see both series brought back again to be developed by Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games, but I doubt this will ever happen, especially with Crash Bandicoot, since Naughty Dog is a Sony first party studio.
*shrug* I guess that would mean they would return to their roots of being PS exlusives. As long as we can get the old quality back that’s fine by me. According to wikipedia, both Naughty Dogs and Insomniac actually still own the rights to both characters.
To be completely honest, I didn’t only enjoy the games in the series made by them. The games I did enjoy though were all published by Sony and/or Universal. No idea how that was tied to quality.
Chrono Trigger remains one of favorite games ever, but I could not get into Chrono Cross. What would need to happen to make a Trigger sequel work, in my mind, is that it needs to retain that game’s light-heartedness. Cross just started off dark and weird, and that threw me off, especially when the first ended with our gang of happy friends going off to have more adventures in time. How about a separate story of Crono, Marle, and Lucca on some new, exciting adventure? That would also allow them to ignore Cross’s existence (which I’m not alone in) and, at the same time, it could remain canon (as this story would take place before it and thus have no relation).
Other franchises: I’ve seen many people say Banjo-Kazooie, and I agree. Also, Starfox, of course. Take it back to the N64, arcade-style. And again, like my recommendations with Chrono Trigger, keep it lighter.
Also, I would love to see a new entry in the Baten Kaitos RPG series. Monolith did great with those games and they recently released the amazing Xenoblade. Apparently, they’re also working on something for the WiiU. One can only dream…
I’m not sure I like the idea of a Chrono series starting up again. I love the games, but it’s also a once and done sort of thing. I don’t think Cross would have worked as well as it did had it been a truer sequel.
If I had to choose, I’d much rather see a Star Ocean game threaten Final Fantasy’s perch as Square’s flagship product than see another Chrono.
Lost Kingdoms
*Drops mic, walks away*
Yes indeed! Did you play the sequel they did do? Very nice.
Baten Kaitos as well. Maybe not the story but the system of battle and exploration. Also the look of the first game was amazing. Do that again game peeps.
Yay! I’m not the only one that remembers dark chronicle!
Every few years there are rumors of new game in the series but nothing came out of it, but I always hope for a new game on the ps3.
Sonic the Hedg….. just kidding.
I’d really like to see Banjo Kazooie make a decent come back as a true Action/Adventure game again. The first 2 games in that serious are some of my favorite games of all time, and I think that they had enormous potential that fell flat on its face when Microsoft acquired Rare. I think if Rare were back under the direction of Nintendo, they could make the Banjo-Kazooie game that they promised us in that cock-tease of a trailer for Banjo-Kazooie 3.
I’d also like to see a new Star Fox game in the original vein of Star Fox 64. Though it was kinda cool to do more than just flying with Fox and actually play him as a character, the Star Fox action/adventure games were very lack luster and felt slapped together (I’m looking at you Star Fox Adventures….)
I fully agree with the guys on seeing a new Dark Cloud game. That was another of my favorites and, in my opinion, was very under appreciated.
There are two series that come to mind that I’d love to see a revival of. First is Suikoden. The series felt very much like an epic story that is not finished yet. Even the parts I didn’t really enjoy at least filled out the world a bit more. Wasn’t too fond of the portalable attempts and I’m not even sure if they were concidered canon with the universe. I’d really like to see a number 6 to the main series and see the story to it’s end.
The Second doesn’t really have a continual story in each installment. Loose ties at the least. Wild Arms. It was one of the first Non Final Fantasy/Dragon Quest games I played. It drew me in as soon as I put in the disk and saw the intro. It was unique to me and a refreshing change of scenery vs the other RPGs I played at the time. As with Suikoden some parts I loved and other hated, but still want to see a 6th in this series as well.
My personal picks:
!. Legend of Dragoon
2. Jade Cocoon (more of an update in graphics and monster design): I know there was a sequel but they changed so much it seemed more like spin off than a sequel.
3. Robo Tech Battle Cry: where the first game left off and continue toward the war with the Robo Tech Masters’ war
4. Thousand Arms: with all the dating sims out there, I am damn surprised this has not come up in anything to improve it and with a create your different elemental weapons and items done right it could have a whole ship of good ideas.
5. Lunar series: two more dragons they can work with
You pretty much wrote my list for me, minus Thousand Arms. Although that’s a game that could benefit from current technology for sure.
There was Ultimate Ghosts and Goblins on PSP,released after Maximo: Army of Zin,and then Ghosts and Goblins :Gold Knights for Jp IOS.
Before that,there was going to be a DaiMakimura online game but it got cancelled.
I don’t even need to say how much I want Dark Cloud back. But first, I must beat the final boss in those games. Sony, make an HD Collection of this game now. Don’t let your stupid insistence on removing backwards compatibility for PS2 games let people miss it.
Agreed on a Star Fox revival. Granted, I’ve only played 64, plus some of either one or both of the Star Fox games at a friend’s house, but Star Fox 64 3D might help have helped reignite the franchise, even if it was just a remake to help get the 3DS going.
Banjo-Kazooie. That game and its immediate sequel still stand among my favorite games of all time, and definitely as my favorite platformers of all – the only games to, in my opinion, beat out Mario at his own game. Unfortunately, I don’t know that I trust Rare to do it anymore. Whatever amazing talent they had back in the N64 era seems to have left them at this point, and I’m not sure who else I’d want the franchise given to for a revival. Maybe Nintendo, but even them I’m not sure about for this.
Star Fox, definitely. I don’t really know why it’s been dropped like it has, since you’d think that a rail shooter series like that would be perfect for the kind of motion controls the Wii had to offer. And actually, just before E3 last year there was a rumor floating around about a Star Fox/Metroid crossover game, which evidently turned out to be false, but I would be all over that if it existed. Include both rail shooter segments in space and on-foot segments, either allowing the player to play as either Samus or the Star Fox crew or perhaps switching between both throughout the game. Could be great.
Also, Ogre Battle. I’m thinking specifically of the gameplay style seen in Ogre Battle 64, which was a very unique strategy-RPG style that I haven’t seen anywhere else, and which I really liked. I enjoy the Tactics Ogre side of the series too, and it would be nice to see new titles from there, but I’d be much more interested in a new game in the Ogre Battle style personally, if only because there just aren’t other games like it.
Sides the ones you guys mentioned, my personal picks I want to be revived include.
1. Clock Tower
2. Killer Instinct
3. Manhunt
4. Star Fox
5. Timesplitters
and 6. Viewtiful Joe
Legacy of Kain. I’d prefer a new Blood Omen since Blood Omen 1 is my favorite, but I wouldn’t mind a Soul Reaver either. As long as they do it right, I don’t mind. A continuation of the story would be nice since Defiance left some questions unanswered. Plus, the game should focus on either Kain or Raziel. Those two are too complex to be both playable characters in one game. They were basically re-skins in Defiance, they both played the same and some aspects of the game suffered because of it. Like the puzzles. Compared to the ones in Soul Reaver, the puzzles you had to solve with Raziel in Defiance were a joke. And yes, I don’t want a reboot. Too many reboots lately that are weaker than the originals, in my opinion.